By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
The 2024-25 edition of the Boston Bruins has endured some trying times. First, there was the lengthy contract holdout of Goaltender Jeremy Swayman, that caused the Alaska native to miss the entirety of training camp. Next, was the firing of Head Coach Jim Montgomery in November. Most recently, was the Bruins most aggressive trade deadline sell-off in decades, which saw the likes of Brad Marchand, Trent Frederic, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo & Justin Brazeau shipped away in separate transactions. In the immediate aftermath of Boston’s trade deadline fire sale, the Bruins put together two fantastic efforts against both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers, resulting in two victories.
However, on Thursday night in Kanata, Ontario, the Bruins were struggling against their Atlantic Division rivals, the Ottawa Senators. Through 30 minutes, the Bruins had looked much like the pre-deadline version. Swayman had been pulled after surrendering four goals on 15 shots, in a first period where Boston only generated four shots of their own. A David Pastrnak redirect that cut the deficit to two was quickly cancelled out by a bad bounce off the glass that was finished by Drake Batherson. It didn’t look like Boston’s night.
Then, after a nice pass by Elias Lindholm, Marat Khusnutdinov picked up the puck at center ice, with Senators captain Brady Tkachuk tailing him. After a few quick strides, the 5’9″ Khusnutdinov blew past the 6’4″ Tkachuk, leaving the taller player in the dust. Senators defenders Tyler Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo could only watch as the young Russian forward dashed toward the net, before ripping a shot over the left shoulder of former Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark that exited the net as quickly as it had entered.
While only his first goal in Black & Gold, Khusnutdinov has shown flashes of promise in his first three games as a Bruin. He was robbed of a primary assist later in that same period, after making a pass to a wide-open Mason Lohrei for a one-timer, that was kept out by a brilliant diving glove save from Ullmark. His effort earned him shifts with Pastrnak later in the contest.
The acquisition of Khusnutdinov is one of a series of moves that General Manager Don Sweeney made with the hope of improving Boston’s future prospects. Acquired from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Brazeau, a rental who was healthy scratched several times by Boston, the Bruins are buying low on Khusnutdinov.
The Moscow, Russia, native is a former 37th overall pick in the 2020 National Hockey League Entry Draft. He’s captained Team Russia at the IIHF World Junior Championships. He also put together a 41-point season with SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League back in the 2022-23 season.
Despite a strong career in Russia, Khusnutdinov struggled a bit in Minnesota. He only produced 11 points in 73 games over two seasons in the Midwest. However, Khusnutdinov was largely deployed as a fourth-line forward with lots of defensive zone starts. In Boston, he has been given the chance to play in the middle-six with Lindholm and fellow trade acquisition Jakub Lauko. Still only 22, time is on Khusnutdinov’s side. His first three games as a Bruin is a good start, and hopefully a sign of things to come for a Bruins team looking to quickly re-tool and return to Stanley Cup Contention.
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