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Russian forward
Alex Khokhlachev is one of several skaters currently auditioning for a bottom-six role with the Boston Bruins. Keyword there, of course, being Boston.
Khokhlachev, drafted by the Bruins with the 40th overall pick in 2011, has spent the past two full seasons with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League, where he has been a top-six fixture for the P-Bruins. In 137 games with Providence over a three-year run, the 22-year-old Khokhlachev has tallied 38 goals and 103 points, along with 11 goals and 17 points in 17 Calder Cup Playoff contests.
Over that run, Khokhlachev has been widely regarded as one of Boston’s top offensive prospects.
But if Khokhlachev does not make the cut for Boston’s NHL group following camp, it sounds as if things between the B’s front office and the 5-foot-11 center could get messy. To say the least.
“This is my last year of [the] contract,” a blunt Khokhlachev noted following Saturday’s three-session practice at TD Garden. “I’m 22 already. If they don’t give me the chance to play, why am I here? I will not play in Providence all my life. They told me to wait for my chance and I’m still waiting for that.”
Providence’s leading scorer the last two seasons in spite of a limited supporting cast when it comes to the level of scorers on the P-Bruins’ wings, Khokhlachev’s numbers would lead to chances.
The Bruins did give Khokhlachev a three-game run with the big league club last season, too. But with time-on-ice logs that read 9:33, 12:10, and then a ridiculously low 2:53 on Nov. 24 against Pittsburgh (it’s worth noting that Khokhlachev did not leave that contest with an injury of any sort, either), the speedy pivot was up-front when it came to how he views those ‘chances’ with the NHL squad.
“I played in two games and the third game I played two minutes,” a clearly frustrated Khokhlachev said when asked about his chances in Boston. “I don’t think that’s really a chance. I played fourth line. It doesn’t really matter what line I play, but I don’t think it’s really a chance to be played two games.”
In spite of his voiced frustration with the organization -- Khokhlachev appeared to indicate that he believed he had a deal with the Bruins that he’d be with the big club after two years (or fewer) in Providence -- he remained honest when pressed if he wants to be in the NHL and with the B’s.
“That’s my team, they drafted me,” Khokhlachev said of the Black and Gold. “I think they believe in me and want me to play. I believe they will give a chance and [that] everything will be good.”
Khokhlachev, no matter the AHL resume he’s built thus far, is not going to bump
Patrice Bergeron,
David Krejci, or
Ryan Spooner out of any of their respective spots in the middle of lines one through three. So for Khokhlachev to make the Bruins out of camp, he’ll have to outwork
Chris Kelly,
Zac Rinaldo, and/or
Max Talbot out of a spot on the B’s fourth line. Khokhlachev is not a winger, either, so it’d have to be in the middle and thus push Kelly to the left wing. That’s without mentioning some of the other names Khokhlachev is competing against, including natural wingers
Brian Ferlin,
Seth Griffith, and Finnish center
Joonas Kemppainen, too. In an accelerated camp full of tweaks, leapfrogging six guys is a major challenge.
And if he’s unsuccessful in that attempt, would he call his agent and ask for a one-way ticket out of the B’s organization? “I don’t wanna talk about that right now,” the Moscow-born Khokhlachev said.
When it comes to this potentially volatile situation, it’s possible to see both sides of the coin.
In defense of Khokhlachev, it’s tough -- actually impossible -- to prove your worth at the NHL level if you log a five-shift, 2:53 night. I mean honestly, what’s the point of even dressing? You can do lots of things in under three minutes. Solidify a career as a regular in the National Hockey League, however, is honestly not one. Khokhlachev is also most likely at the point where feasting on the American Hockey League probably won't serve his overall development any well. The late-season progression of Spooner under the tutelage of head coach Claude Julien always restores faith in Khokhlachev’s ability to contribute at this level if properly managed (not that you should have lost faith in a 21-year-old).
At the same time, it’s not as if Khokhlachev has lit the AHL on fire and thus forced the Bruins’ hand.
Though he’s twice led the P-Bruins in scoring, he’s never scored more than 21 goals or 57 points in an AHL season. That’s not enough of a statistical benchmark to warrant your second day of camp -- and your first day in front of the microphones for that matter -- becoming a headline-driven afternoon focusing in what you will or won’t do if the chips don’t fall your way for a third-straight fall. Again, look at the Spooner situation of last season. If not for Krejci’s season-changing knee injury, you could make the case that Spooner does not get another shot in making it work with Boston and is ultimately sent out of town in a deadline deal. Instead of complaining about his time riding buses through New England and giving the Bruins an unwritten ultimatum of sorts, though, Spooner made the necessary changes the Black and Gold needed and wanted to see out of him in order to give him legitimate NHL minutes.
That return to the minors ultimately saved the NHL career of Spooner the Bruin.
It’s hard to figure out exactly where this is coming from, too. While you’d understand Khokhlachev’s frustrations, the fact that this came out the first time the microphones were put in front of his face this fall leads me to believe that either his agent or his father -- a big deal in the KHL -- are in his ear.
Khokhlachev obviously wants to be in the NHL. It’s an understandable desire. And for a player like Khokhlachev, who could make better money and gain more notoriety if he were to return to Russia and the KHL (Khokhlachev played for Moscow Spartak for 26 contests in 2012-13), toiling in the minors is not a route he’s envision for his career to date. He thought he was rewarding the Black and Gold by proving his value in Boston's backyard versus back home in Russia, and Khokhlachev clearly thought he'd be reaping the rewards of that loyalty by now. But for the Bruins, it’s not about what you deserve, but rather what you’ve earned, and it’s clear that the Bruins want more from ‘Koko’.
This is the same Alex Khokhlachev that failed to beat out an inactive Gregory Campbell for that fourth-line pivot spot during last fall's training camp, and was forced to deal with a disappointed President Cam Neely following a rather uneventful camp (Neely wanted the younger guys to legitimate challenge some of the B’s vets for jobs, which obviously did not happen given the fact that Simon Gagne was signed).
And honestly, if not for this outburst of sorts following today's practice, Khokhlachev would not have even been mentioned in this blog (or any blog from today). In spite of his frustration, it's clear that he's not yet at the level at which he needs to be at in order to be a meaningful NHL talent for the Bruins.
Still, for now, the ball is in Khokhlachev’s court by way of his play when the puck drops on the B’s busy-as-hell, seven-game preseason slate tomorrow night against New Jersey.
That is unless of course B’s general manager
Don Sweeney opts to send a message to No. 76 that you can’t hijack your way onto the Boston roster through media and vague, unconfirmed threats.
Even if you’re a talent he’s publicly built up for the last four years.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • 
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