by Denis Savage

He goes by many names, and no one can pinpoint which name is exact.  Almost every website spells his last name differently.  Filip Novak was traded because this man passed him in development in the eyes of Ranger brass.  Who is he?  Well he is Fedor Tutin, er Tyutin, maybe its Tjutin.  Even the heralded hockeydb site has him listed twice.  Either way he is a defenseman of the future for the New York Rangers.  

Fedor was selected in the 2^nd round of the 2001 draft, 40^th overall.  Many draft experts had him rated as the 2^nd best defenseman in the draft behind Mike Komisarek who went in the first round to Montreal .  What makes this guy so special?  

In a word: Poise.  Fedor plays a smart game.  He is solid in his own end and blossoming in the offensive zone.  He is 6’3, 204lbs. and uses his size.  He will bang when he needs to, but more importantly plays a solid positioning game.  He does not get caught up ice, realizing his first goal is to play defense.  Fedor makes crisp outlet passes and can carry the puck up ice.  He takes possession of the puck and keeps it, and his game is doing what he wants with the puck.  In protecting the zone he sees the ice well and has good anticipation of where the play is headed.  

Last year in the OHL, playing for Guelph Storm, he displayed continued development of the offensive side of his game.  As a rookie in the OHL he posted startling offensive numbers.  His 19 goals and 40 assists lead all rookie defensemen and placed him 7^th in scoring among all rookies and 3^rd among all defensemen. This was a pleasant surprise from his Russian Elite numbers.  Most scouts knew he would score some with his incredible feel for the game, but his development has come as a surprise and enabled the Rangers to deal Novak in a trade to acquire Pavel Bure.  He has earned extensive power play time as a result of his solid play and continues to rebuff reports that his offensive game needs work.  

Fedor realizes his primary responsibility is to play defense and he played on the penalty kill unit for the Storm.  He also continued his playing career with a teammate from his Russia days in Leonard Zhvachin.  At 18 years of age, he turns 19 in July; he is exceeding expectations with his poise and solid play.  Most defenseman take time to develop and are contributors in their mid-20’s.  Fedor could be in the lineup long before that.   

Of course like any young defenseman he needs to work on his consistency.  He plays a mental game and it would be nice if he used his body more to clear the front of the net.  He also needs to play against better competition, as he did in the Russian Elite League, to see if he can sustain his offensive stats or if it was just a mirage playing in the high scoring OHL.  AHL time is in his future so he can hone his skills as a defensive specialist with offensive upside.  He also needs to add more muscle to his frame to endure the NHL life.  If he continues at the pace he has established for himself he could be a Ranger in 2003.  He may need to temper his aggressiveness against the better competition as he does try and force the play and has been able to make up for it against the lesser competition.  It will remain to be seen if he can do the same versus top-level talent but all signs point that he can and will make that transition.  Fedor will be a top 2 defenseman in the NHL, and that dream is not that long from becoming a reality.