Alex Khokhlachev’s agent believes his client has not received a fair shake during his Boston Bruins tenure.
Khokhlachev, a 22-year-old forward, has been one of the Providence Bruins’ top performers over the past three seasons, racking up 59 goals and 107 assists in his first 183 games at the American Hockey League level.
Those impressive stats have earned him only the briefest of NHL cameos, however, as the young Russian has appeared in just nine career games for Boston. He was all but invisible in those contests, failing to tally a point while posting a minus-4 rating and totaling just seven shots on goal.
Khokhlachev is set to hit restricted free agency this summer, and his agent on Wednesday offered a strong critique of Bruins coach Claude Julien to reporter Igor Eronko of Russia’s Sport-Express.
These comments fall in line with ones Khokhlachev himself made back in September.
“This is my last year of contract,” he told reporters during Bruins training camp. “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 just wait for your chance, and I’m still waiting for that.
“I played in Providence two years and was the leading scorer for two years. I think I played good, and I’m not a young guy anymore, 22. I think I’m ready for the chance.”
Khokhlachev played in five games for the Bruins this season: two in early November, two more in mid-December and the NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. He saw more than 14 minutes of ice time in each of his first two tilts with the big club but logged 7:55, 8:01 and 6:01 in his final three, respectively.
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Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
