Bruins Lock Up Khusnutdinov With Three-Year Extension

The Boston Bruins have secured a piece of their future by signing forward Marat Khusnutdinov to a three-year contract extension worth $3.95 million per season, keeping the 24-year-old under contract through the 2029-30 campaign. Khusnutdinov arrived from Minnesota at the 2025 trade deadline in the deal that sent Justin Brazeau the other way, and he has since gone from fringe option to lineup regular, recently skating on the second line alongside Fraser Minten. The extension rewards that rise and gives Boston cost certainty on a young forward still approaching his prime years. It also reflects how the Bruins view their window: at 10-4-1, they sit firmly in the playoff race, and locking up emerging contributors now avoids a more expensive negotiation later. Elsewhere in Boston, Michael DiPietro recorded his first career NHL shutout last month, stopping all 28 shots in a 6-0 win over Nashville, while defenceman Nikita Zadorov was fined $5,000 for roughing Chicago's Alex Vlasic. But the headline move is Khusnutdinov's new deal — a bet on a player the Bruins believe is only getting started.