Bruins restricted free agent hopes to stay as offseason kicks in

The Boston Bruins have plenty of decisions to make on their roster this summer, chief among them their restricted free agents.

One key RFA to watch is 22-year-old forward Marat Khusnutdinov, whom the B's acquired as part of the trade that sent Justin Brazeau to the Minnesota Wild. A Moscow native, Khusnutdinov was originally a second-round pick (37th overall) to Minnesota in the 2020 draft, and made his NHL debut in the 2023-24 season.

Khusnutdinov played both center and left wing for the Bruins. He showed a slight offensive improvement with three goals and five points in 18 games, plus a 55.6% rate at the faceoff dot. He had a more even distribution of zone starts in the offensive and defensive zones (54.8%/45.2%), showing a level of two-way trust with the Bruins coaching staff.

Despite his short time in Boston, Khusnutdinov sounds like he's fallen in love with the organization and the city. Speaking to reporters as part of the team's end-of-season media availability last Thursday, he affirmed that he'd be happy to sign an extension with the B's.

"So happy. Yeah, so happy," Khusnutdinov said. "Perfect organization, good city.”

^{Marat Khusnutdinov}

Khusnutdinov credited his teammates and the Bruins' training staff for his satisfaction wearing the spoked 'B'. It's no surprise that he's taken a liking to fellow countryman Nikita Zadorov, who helped him feel comfortable upon his arrival in Boston.

As for his contract, Khusnutdinov is an impending restricted free agent. He'll be due a qualifying offer, then could be subject to an offer sheet from another team. However, his relative lack of experience and production to this point in his career may not make him worth the draft pick compensation that another club would have to give up to pry him from the Bruins.

It's also possible that Khusnutdinov signs an offer sheet at an AAV that's below the minimum threshold for having to send out draft picks. The minimum last year was $1,511,701 (via PuckPedia). But it would be relatively surprising to see Khusnutdinov sign elsewhere, considering how happy he seems in Boston. He's a safe bet to stay, if the interest is mutual.

Chief among the Bruins' restricted free agents to watch this offseason is Morgan Geekie, who reflected on scoring a career-best 33 goals this past season when he met with reporters. Forwards Johnny Beecher and Jakub Lauko round out the group of RFAs.

The Bruins may also explore the offer sheet market themselves, as they look to improve the roster to the point of returning to playoff contention in the 2025-26 season.