When Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney traded forward Justin Brazeau to the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline in 2025, the return was Jakub Lauko and Marat Khusnutdinov. Lauko was a former Bruins fan favorite, while Khusnutdinov was an unknown.
After impressing during the final six weeks of the season in Boston, it was clear that the Bruins would have interest in bringing him back for the 2025-26 season. The Bruins did that, and it proved to be a tremendous move.
Khusnutdinov became one of the more underrated, valuable players for first-year coach Marco Sturm. Let's look back at his season and give Khusnutdinov a grade for his first full season in Boston.
Marat Khusnutdinov 2025-26 regular season
What a first season it was with the Bruins for the 23-year-old from Moscow. Selected in the second round, 37th overall by the Minnesota Wild, he played 57 games in 2024-25 with just two goals and seven points. He came to the Bruins and had three goals and five points in 18 games. However, he impressed with his speed and ability to create havoc around the opponent's net.
That led to him getting a two-year extension from the Bruins last summer with an extremely team-friendly AAV of $925,000. When he signed that deal, little did anyone know what was about to come. He played in 77 games in the regular season for Boston with 15 goals and 18 assists, while averaging 14:30 in time on the ice. He was moved around in the lineup, including playing on the wing with Fraser Minten and David Pastrnak.
Marat Khusnutdinov's 2026 postseason
As was the case for most of his teammates, Khusnutdinov found things different and a little rougher in the playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres. He went pointless and saw his average time on the ice increase to 15:28 a game. He played the first three games on the 'Kid Line' with James Hagens and Minten, before Hagens watched the final three games from the press box.
Looking ahead to next season, Khusnutdinov is expected to be a big part of the lineup, but depending on which moves are made this summer, the lineup and his spot could look different.
Marat Khusnutdinov 2025-26 Grade: A-
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