Don Sweeney locked up one of the two Boston Bruins breakout rookies from the 2025-26 season when he signed Fraser Minten to a long-term contract extension earlier this summer. With Minten playing one more year on his entry-level deal, the team has one less piece of business to take care of next offseason. The front office made a smart move signing Minten long-term before he breaks out even further this season, but they didn't use the same opportunity for Marat Khusnutdinov.
It might've been equally savvy to leave Khusnutdinov's deal on the table, since Minten's long-term projections are a bit more of a sure thing than the Russian winger's. Two-way, big-bodied centers can, at worst, be reliable third-liners, and Minten's $7.2 million AAV will not hurt the team overall over the course of the seven years. Khusnutdinov has a better chance of dropping off or being replaced down the line.
The Bruins are hopeful that they have something in him after his 15 goals and 18 assists last season. If he continues to grow, there is no reason why he cannot be a middle-six scoring winger who also brings heaps of energy and can kill penalties. Khusnutdinov could very well be a poor man's Brad Marchand if everything falls correctly.
Don Sweeney's risk is greater after seeing training camp
Right now, it was smart for Sweeney to wait on Khusnutdinov's extension, but a few things in training camp might give the general manager more urgency. The "Kid Line" of Khusnutdinov, Minten, and James Hagens had short stints together last season and looked good, but they have now played the entire camp together and are projected to be the team's third line to start the season.
Maybe the line eventually goes their seperate ways, or the Minten-Hagens combination sticks, but Khusnutdinov is the odd-man out in favor of a more skilled scorer; still, there is reason to believe this trio could be a solid line for the Bruins for a long time if they build up enough chemistry. Having Khusnutdinov tied to two of Boston's brightest young stars could cost Sweeney more than he is bargaining for.
Front offices now have enough analytics staff to run cost-risk simulations and figure out how likely it is that Khusnutdinov will drive his price up this season. If they truly felt it was a risk, the Bruins surely could've reached an agreement with the winger's camp before the season began, and they are willing to take a chance that he won't play himself into Minten territory for his AAV.
We've seen Sweeney do business mid-season before to lock in a player early, as he did two seasons ago with Mark Kastelic, which proved to be a smart move. Without knowing how Khusnutdinov and his agent feel about negotiating mid-season, a hot start for the Kid Line could move talks along and get an extension done before the offseason.
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