By: Brandon Murdock | Follow me on Twitter/X @Brandonmurdoc11
The 2024-25 National Hockey League trade deadline for the Boston Bruins was a pivotal moment for the franchise, with seven trades bringing a lot of new faces to the organization. Some of those new faces include Fraser Minten, Casey Mittelstadt, and even Will Zellers at the prospect level.
One name that came back at the deadline, which surely flew under the radar at the time, was Marat Khusnutdinov. The Moscow, Russia native, alongside Jakub Lauko and a sixth-round pick, came over from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for bottom-six forward Justin Brazeau. This trade has played an important role in the Bruins’ 2025-26 resurgence towards the postseason.
It is not a huge surprise that the Wild sold low on him, considering he had registered just three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 73 games with the team. The team surely expected more from the former second-round, 37th overall pick from the 2020 draft.
Khusnutdinov, who was 22 years old at the time of the trade, showed flashes last year in limited games with the team after the trade. He recorded three goals and two assists for five points in just 18 games. Outside of the score sheet, Khusnutdinov also showed a plethora of speed and grit that were missing from the Bruins’ lineup.
This season, however, has been a completely different story for Khusnutdinov. He has nearly doubled his career points total, with 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points. He has also been someone that head coach Marco Sturm has moved all around the lineup. One night, he is on the top line with David Pastrnak, and the next, he is on the third line with Minten, the level of flexibility that coaches love to see.
He has also shown a level of clutchness that is always vital for a team. So far this season, 12 of Khusnutdinov’s 27 points have come in the third period or overtime, with one of those being an overtime game-winning goal. He has shown himself to be someone who steps up in the big moment.
One of Khusnutdinov’s greatest strengths, however, is his ability at even-strength play. Of his 27 points, all but one have come in 5-on-5 hockey. One of the team’s biggest weaknesses is its strength.
Khusnutdinov is fresh off scoring the tying goal Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, as this was his first point since returning from the Olympic break. He was on fire before the break, scoring a point in four consecutive games before the stoppage.
While Khusnutdinov has had a great season, he has fallen to the home-and-away split troubles that the rest of the team has suffered from. Nine of his 13 goals have come at TD Garden, meaning at times, he has been non-existent on the road.
While he is still a young player, I fully trust that he can adapt to this and improve as he becomes more comfortable. All in all, Khusnutdinov has been one of the biggest sparkplugs on the team and played a huge role in its success.
Leave a Reply