New Report Reveals Why Bruins GM Rejected Contract Request and Traded Forward

The Minnesota Wild brought depth to their front line by acquiring Justin Brazeau from the Boston Bruins earlier this month. Boston received prospects Jakub Lauko and Marat Khusnutdinov in return.

Brazeau, the 6'5" winger, was physical for the Bruins and had a tough style of play in the bottom six for the team. In his second season in the NHL, he developed himself into a scrapper and provided some offense when needed.

In 66 games this season, he's established career bests with 11 goals and 10 assists. He plays on Minnesota's bottom two lines, providing size and toughness.

The trade came on the heels of stagnant contract negotiations between Brazeau's representatives and the Bruins earlier in the season.

According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, Brazeau's representatives asked for a three-year, $1 million per year deal. Boston remained adamant on its initial one-year, $775K offer, and thus, a trade was later initiated.

In return, the Bruins received a familiar face in Lauko. Originally drafted by Boston in 2015, the 24-year-old forward debuted for the Bruins before being dealt to Minnesota in the offseason of last year. Lauko has nine goals and 16 assists in 129 NHL contests.

Khusnutdinov, once a second-round draft choice of the Wild, has a lot of speed and brings upside to the Bruins.

The 22-year-old Russian center is not yet a proven-scoring contributor, mustering only five goals and eight assists over his first 81 NHL games.

A fresh start in Boston may give him an opportunity to carve out a middle-six role for himself with the team next season.

We will know in due course whether it was a mistake for the Bruins not to sign Brazeau, or whether these new additions will be better for the team overall, next season.