Rus: Alexander Polushin Review

Alexander Polushin - Tampa Bay Lightning

After a moderately successful 2002-03 season, Alexander Polushin became an integral part of CSKA Moscow’s lineup, skating on the club’s second line with Vladimir Gorbunov (New York Islanders) and Sergei Anshakov (Pittsburgh Penguins). The three players formed a formidable unit and were consistently kept together for almost a month. Polushin impressed with his combination of size and skill.

The young forward filled in his 6’4 frame and showed the makings of a power forward, using his large frame well physically, fighting hard on the boards and driving to the net. In the middle of October, however, Polushin suffered a serious knee injury during practice and was knocked out for the rest of the season. Unlike the debacle that was Pavel Vorobiev’s (Chicago Blackhawks) knee surgery just a couple of years back, Polushin was diagnosed correctly and flown right away to Germany to have the surgery performed by a world renowned expert.

Polushin’s absence from the lineup had quite a ripple effect, sending both his line mates into a downward spiral with neither Gorbunov nor Anshakov being able to recover from his absence. Anshakov still managed to put together a solid season, while Gorbunov fell out of favor with Tikhonov and was permanently relegated to the club’s junior farm team in February, before being released after the end of the season. Polushin’s recovery from the knee surgery has been complete and the young forward will likely play an integral role in CSKA’s plans for 2004-05.

Unfortunately, during the recovery he has lost his form, gaining a lot of extra weight. Only time will tell if he will be able to recover fully his former conditioning. While Polushin is clearly first line material, his case is similar to Pavel Vorobiev’s from a couple of years back, as Tampa Bay will not likely sign the young winger to a contract until he proves that he fully recovered from the knee injury and puts together another full professional season in Russia.

article courtesy Evgeny Belashchenko and RussianProspects.com