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Justin Brazeau, Boston Bruins (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Minnesota Wild Fulfill Needs With Brazeau Acquisition

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Mariah E. Stark | Last updated Mar 7, 2025 11:45 AM ET

The 2025 NHL Trade Deadline is just hours away, and after the Minnesota Wild moved to acquire Gustav Nyquist last week, it wasn’t clear if they would make any more moves. As the week went on, it appeared they weren’t entirely done, and they proved that by making a late-night move on Thursday, Mar. 6.

They traded away Jakub Lauko, Marat Khusnutdinov, and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Boston Bruins in exchange for right-wing Justin Brazeau. It’s hard to say if the Wild are entirely done, as general manager Bill Guerin likes to keep things pretty quiet, but this move was interesting. In this article, we’ll look at what the Wild bring in with Brazeau and what they lose, starting with what they gain.

Wild Aquire Size With Brazeau

In the last few seasons, it seems like the Wild have made trades to get players with some size to them. They aren’t a big team by any means, but they aren’t exactly small either; however, adding someone like Brazeau, who is 6-foot-6 and 227 pounds, is a lot of size. The Wild haven’t been a big physical team this season, and while at times it has benefited them, they’ve sometimes allowed themselves to get pushed around. Hopefully, this will be something Brazeau can help them with.

He’s not only size, either. He has good hands and is good down low, said Michael Russo of The Athletic in an X post about what he was told Brazeau’s attributes are. While this trade was maybe questionable at first, the Wild have struggled to find guys willing to go to the net, and he should be someone they can count on for that area.

The final area of Brazeau’s game that Russo was told about was his ability to play on the power play. Again, this is another area the Wild have found sporadic success in, and it definitely could use a boost of some kind. Brazeau’s strong qualities could make him a real asset to the Wild if he transitions well.

Wild Lose Lauko & Khusnutdinov

It is understandable why the Wild let go of both players, but they also lost some good qualities. Lauko and Khusnutdinov had been struggling lately, but they also showed great potential. The longer Khusnutdinov was left in the lineup, the stronger his game became. He was a fast skater with strong hands and wasn’t afraid to be physical when he could be despite not being the biggest player on the ice.

He played a heads-up style, and while he had many more turnovers than takeaways, he was still valuable to the lineup. At only 22 years old, he has much time to grow his game. His linemate, Lauko, had many similar qualities, including speedy skating and great hands, but he also followed in the inconsistent play.

The one area the Wild will miss about Lauko is his work ethic. Every game he played for them, he gave 110 percent. Even in the games they weren’t going to come back in, he was always making an effort. However, the flip side was his injuries and his struggle to find ways to stay healthy. Russo confirmed in an X post that the Wild were worried about that side of his game and wanted to move on.

Wild Finished With Trades?

The Wild may or may not be finished with their trades, but they have surprised fans before at the hands of Guerin. He’s always been hard to read regarding team moves, but even if they haven’t gotten past the first round of the postseason recently, his moves have made a difference. Of course, some have fallen flat, which happens to every team, but some have stepped up in the way they should; it just wasn’t enough to fix the damage already done.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Wild are done with moves or if they’ll have a last-minute move submitted in the final minutes. They have to figure out how to get through these recent injuries, and these moves may be deemed enough, but if there’s that right player, Guerin will get him. It’s hard to see Lauko and Khusnutdinov go as they were both young, upcoming players, but they weren’t fitting where the Wild needed them to at the time, and they had to move on to someone who could.

Brazeau won’t have much time to get used to his teammates as he’s expected to be on the roster when they play the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, Mar. 7. It’s likely he’ll start on the fourth line and be moved around from there when necessary. Still, he could make a good linemate to Devin Shore and Yakov Trenin if the lines stay the same as they were before these moves. Hopefully, he can help get this line producing offensively and defensively and add a slight edge. It’ll be interesting to see where he fits in and how he transitions in these first few games.