Wild's Hynes to Test Shabanov Alongside Kaprizov
Minnesota coach John Hynes says rookie Maxim Shabanov will get an early look on a line with Kirill Kaprizov in pre-season, with Danila Yurov also in the mix.
John Hynes said he will give Maxim Shabanov an early run alongside Kirill Kaprizov once pre-season play gets under way.
"We very much want to see Shabanov in that spot – to see how he looks there. How might he look paired with Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy? How would Coleman look with Boldy and Ek? Or Coleman with Hartzi and Kirill? We're going to try Shabanov there. We'll also look at Bobby Brink. I'm also interested to see Danila Yurov – if you think back to the level he showed at camp last season, and how he prepared over the summer, he's a good player. It's a tricky situation, because you can't get too carried away experimenting, but I think we'll look at these combinations. He's a rookie, but he has the tools for us to give him that chance."
The opening Hynes has in mind sits on the wing Mats Zuccarello occupied before him, alongside Kaprizov and, potentially, Ryan Hartman. Hynes said he would still test a line of Shabanov, Yurov and Brink in exhibition games even if Kaprizov is eased in later, with the pre-season schedule set to decide how the combinations settle.
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