Boston Bruins: Alexander Khokhlachev To Miss 4-6 weeks
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
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Following a two-game stint with the Boston Bruins, Alexander Khokhlachev received some bad news. Just four days after being sent back down to Providence, Khokhlachev injured himself in a game against the Utica Comets and underwent surgery to repair his hand. The injury will keep the young Russian out of the lineup for at least a month with an estimated recovery time of four-to-six weeks.
After starting the AHL season with a torrid point scoring pace, Alexander Khokhlachev was given two games to showcase his talent on the top line in Boston alongside David Krejci and Loui Eriksson. The injury to David Pastrnak‘s foot seemed to be a blessing in disguise for “Koko” who was finally getting the opportunity he claimed to deserve in the offseason when he infamously said “I will not play in Providence all my life.” Clearly the opportunity didn’t lead to any longstanding results for Khokhlachev as he was demoted back to the AHL just two games later, with AHL rookie sensation and Massachusetts native Frank Vatrano taking his place alongside David Krejci and Loui Eriksson. Unfortunately for Khokhlachev, he will have to wait a long time before he is even considered to be called up again to the lineup. He will likely have to compete with David Pastrnak, Frank Vatrano, and potentially any other Providence player who might shine during the absence of Khokhlachev and Vatrano.
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Khokhlachev is currently in the final year of his contract and if he continues to receive playing time in Providence and not Boston following his recovery, it will likely be his last with the Bruins. One route the Bruins could take if they know that playing him isn’t an option on the big club is to trade him as a part of a bigger package deal for a defenseman, but the right opportunity has to present itself. Any trade for a prospect like Khokhlachev would be better than simply letting him walk on the free market, but that doesn’t change the fact that they can’t simply give him away for nothing. General Manager Don Sweeney has done anything but hesitate to pull the trigger on trades in his short tenure as the Bruins GM, and that shouldn’t change when dealing with an unproven talent in Khokhlachev.
While his two game stint with the Bruins didn’t result in any points, Khokhlachev definitely showed some signs of brilliance along the boards when breaking into the offensive zone, and a longer sample size could result in better results. The issue is he has to earn it, especially with the depth that the Bruins have at forward.
Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @BShareCohen to discuss all things Bruins and sports