Article: Can Justin Brazeau Become the Player He Was Earlier This Season?

[Bekki Antonelli]

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[Imyourhuckleberry]

Khusnutdinov has potential to be better and is being used completely differently in Boston than with the Wild. We'll see if he can continue to produce points. He's scored 4 goals on the season now. I found it somewhat interesting that the 2 games he scored with the Wild, the Wild won both games.

In the 2 games he's scored for Boston, they've lost by multiple goals--his team was down by at least 3 goals when he scored, so perhaps the opposition was a little less focused. Boston lost both games by 3-4 goals.

Brazeau hasn't shown a lot, but may fit in solidly once playoff time arrives.

If Khusnutdinov continues to score on 66% of his shots, the Wild will probably regret this trade, but I suspect he will not score on 2/3 of the shots he takes. Also, 3 shots on goal in 5 games doesn't seem like a lot.

Edited March 19 by Imyourhuckleberry
Added shooting% for K-Nut.

[Willy the poor boy]

14 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Khusnutdinov has potential to be better and is being used completely differently in Boston than with the Wild. We'll see if he can continue to produce points. He's scored 4 goals on the season now. I found it somewhat interesting that the 2 games he scored with the Wild, the Wild won both games.

In the 2 games he's scored for Boston, they've lost by multiple goals--his team was down by at least 3 goals when he scored, so perhaps the opposition was a little less focused. Boston lost both games by 3-4 goals.

Brazeau hasn't shown a lot, but may fit in solidly once playoff time arrives.

If Khusnutdinov continues to score on 66% of his shots, the Wild will probably regret this trade, but I suspect he will not score on 2/3 of the shots he takes. Also, 3 shots on goal in 5 games doesn't seem like a lot.

If not the Wild Org., I do believe Wild fans will rue the day this trade was made. And, to add insult to injury they threw in a 2'nd. Terrible, terrible.

Hoozy's got speed and a good shot. He'll be successful when paired with better talent. I'm betting he centers line 2 for Bruins next season. JMO

Edited March 19 by Willy the poor boy
spelling

[Willy the poor boy]

1 minute ago, Willy the poor boy said:

If not the Wild Org., I do believe Wild fans will rue the day this trade was made. And, to add insult to injury they threw in a 2'nd. Terrible, terrible.

Hoozy's got speed and a good shot. He'll be successful when paired with better talent. I'm betting he centers line 2 for Bruins next season. JMO

I do think Bra has some game, but he is a lumbering sloth out there. I'm not so sure that can be changed much at 27.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

6 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

If not the Wild Org., I do believe Wild fans will rue the day this trade was made. And, to add insult to injury they threw in a 2'nd. Terrible, terrible.

Hoozy's got speed and a good shot. He'll be successful when paired with better talent. I'm betting he centers line 2 for Bruins next season. JMO

What do you mean they "threw in a 2nd"?

Boston could be last in their division next season(only Buffalo behind them in the current season), so I guess I won't bet against Khusnutdinov centering their 2nd line, but I think it's fairly safe to assume he won't be centering the 2nd line of a contender in the next few seasons.

Solid NHL player, and I hope he keeps developing, but he's not currently more productive than Dewar was with the Wild at age 23. Yurov and Riley Heidt both have the potential to be better as early as next season.

[Scalptrash]

Marat for Brazeau straight up would have been more palatable, BG got fleeced. It's going to hurt even more when Marat wins a cup before the Wild, and he contributes to the win. 

[Willy the poor boy]

12 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

What do you mean they "threw in a 2nd"?

Boston could be last in their division next season(only Buffalo behind them in the current season), so I guess I won't bet against Khusnutdinov centering their 2nd line, but I think it's fairly safe to assume he won't be centering the 2nd line of a contender in the next few seasons.

Solid NHL player, and I hope he keeps developing, but he's not currently more productive than Dewar was with the Wild at age 23. Yurov and Riley Heidt both have the potential to be better as early as next season.

Boston is def. rebuilding and they could be last but, Hoozy will be a better player by himself then Bra will ever be. He'll be centering their 2'nd line and we'll regret this trade. I do like some of Bra's skills but he's so not fleet a foot that I just don't see him being anything long term for anyone. I hope I'm wrong but, I don't think I'm very far off.

[Secord Sucks]

1 hour ago, Willy the poor boy said:

And, to add insult to injury they threw in a 2'nd. Terrible, terrible.

I think he meant that they threw in a 2nd round pick? I’ve seen this comment on a thread in reddit too, but as the author correctly points out, it was a sixth round pick.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

1 hour ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Boston is def. rebuilding and they could be last but, Hoozy will be a better player by himself then Bra will ever be.

I don't dispute that it's very possible that Knudi could become a better player. To me, this was Guerin doing Khusnutdinov and his agent a favor since the Wild did not have cap space to keep him on the NHL roster after adding Nyquist.

With that being said, it's not clear that Khusnutdinov would have a major role at any future date with the Wild given the other developing prospects that could surpass his talent level in the near future, and the high likelihood they'll be bringing in a free agent and/or trading for the top 6 forward along with adding Yurov. Heidt is a similar prospect to him and Ohgren is likely to have a depth role as well.

You also are suggesting that Khusnutdinov will be centering the 2nd line for Boston, but they aren't even using him as a C while they are languishing near the bottom of the conference.  He's played over 74 minutes with Boston and taken 1 faceoff, which he lost.  They might view him only as a wing.

[RedLake]

Who is Justin Breezy Brezzerson? 

[Enforceror]

29 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I don't dispute that it's very possible that Knudi could become a better player. To me, this was Guerin doing Khusnutdinov and his agent a favor since the Wild did not have cap space to keep him on the NHL roster after adding Nyquist.

With that being said, it's not clear that Khusnutdinov would have a major role at any future date with the Wild given the other developing prospects that could surpass his talent level in the near future, and the high likelihood they'll be bringing in a free agent and/or trading for the top 6 forward along with adding Yurov. Heidt is a similar prospect to him and Ohgren is likely to have a depth role as well.

You also are suggesting that Khusnutdinov will be centering the 2nd line for Boston, but they aren't even using him as a C while they are languishing near the bottom of the conference.  He's played over 74 minutes with Boston and taken 1 faceoff, which he lost.  They might view him only as a wing.

This.

[Dean]

Joe smith was answering viewer questions on soya pod. He was asked about what year of the plan we are in.  This is news to me because he said when Craig did the buyouts they didn’t have a plan Craig thought it would be easy to build a contender so didn’t plan. It wasn’t till Billy had been here for awhile and people started asking,  He and Billy came up with 5 year plan. That’s crazy. He simply copied Vegas owners demand they win cup in 5 years  

   Today I read they want Minnesota to pay close to 400 million renovate . This is where Craig has been planning and working the politicians for many years while having no plan for wild. To get Minnesotans to pay for his hobby he’s bad at! To pay for him to raise prices on Minnesotans.  This billionaire got his guy in office to give tax cuts to billionaires. They’ve tanked the economy but are still going to get there billionaire tax cuts.  So on top of that Craig wants a handout .  Even though this organization has done nothing in its existence.  We should let this team leave! Or pay for themselves .  Borrow against the crazy value of the team. Use your tax cut Craig !  The value of sports teams are going up yet viewership is going down in all sports . Baseball is signing crazy contracts but don’t have a tv deal.  None of this adds up other than these owners are getting free money from tax payers . They are trying to hold cities hostage to there demands. Now it’s not just stadiums. They want casinos , hotels , and huge complexes .  Minnesota should tell Craig to walk. Let the nhl explain how Minnesota doesn’t have a team but supplies a fair share of players .  Enough of welfare for billionaires!! Get a job billionaire! 

[mnfaninnc]

I get Dean's rant about the money, but does OCL also own the X? I think the city owns it, and with most renovations, the owner gets to pay. Out of the cost of the renovation, how much is OCL putting up? 40%? 50%? 

It is my understanding that the X is also used for other events and not just Wild games. I would assume that most of the renovations that the Wild need will be paid through OCL and most of the renovations that are needed for all events are paid by the city via taxpayers. 

We can argue over whether the X really needs renovations, but the truth is that public places like this get used pretty hard, and fans don't take losses that easily. When was the last time the X was renovated? If it's been more than 10 years, I'd say it's due. Landlords have to do this all the time, unless they are slumlords. 

I'd also look into the lease which may mandate certain renovations that need to take place. Yes, you can always upgrade, but the upgrades should happen when the life of the items replacing have worn out. This would be a line item type of thing. For instance, if OCL wants to replace a perfectly good scoreboard with something newer and upgraded, this he should do himself. But, if the bathrooms need new fixtures because they're beaten up, this would be on the city. 

[mnfaninnc]

It was pointed out in an earlier article that Breezers, or should we call him Brazos, came to play in a very different system. You can also make the argument that MaRat did too, but his skills were speed and he could adjust easier. Being that Breezers is a larger body and slower speed, he is having to adapt and it's taking more time because his timing simply isn't there. 

This is not a thing about the coaches not having confidence in him. This is a thing where the coaches are bringing him along and not dropping too much on his plate. He not only has to get down the timing of what we're doing, but also the differences in what the system demands of him. For instance, we have to play so perfect, that Breezers cannot leave his zone early. He's got to get that timing down, as well as what to look for. 

Getting him up to speed is the main concern until the end of the season, because his large frame can be very effective come playoff time. He can be the Ek on PP2. He can also be an effective screen. He knows where to go to be effective. Yet, when you are down 5-1, that seems like a perfect opportunity to work on those things, not sit and watch. 

[Patrick]

Maybe its confidence but watching him I see a big guy who somehow manages to make Jordan Greenway look like a hard nosed power forward.  Timid is putting it lightly. You would think he is 1 ft and 60 pounds lighter.  He has zero snarl to his game.  Hopefully i'm wrong....

[Dango]

3 hours ago, Dean said:

Joe smith was answering viewer questions on soya pod. He was asked about what year of the plan we are in.  This is news to me because he said when Craig did the buyouts they didn’t have a plan Craig thought it would be easy to build a contender so didn’t plan. It wasn’t till Billy had been here for awhile and people started asking,  He and Billy came up with 5 year plan. That’s crazy. He simply copied Vegas owners demand they win cup in 5 years  

   Today I read they want Minnesota to pay close to 400 million renovate . This is where Craig has been planning and working the politicians for many years while having no plan for wild. To get Minnesotans to pay for his hobby he’s bad at! To pay for him to raise prices on Minnesotans.  This billionaire got his guy in office to give tax cuts to billionaires. They’ve tanked the economy but are still going to get there billionaire tax cuts.  So on top of that Craig wants a handout .  Even though this organization has done nothing in its existence.  We should let this team leave! Or pay for themselves .  Borrow against the crazy value of the team. Use your tax cut Craig !  The value of sports teams are going up yet viewership is going down in all sports . Baseball is signing crazy contracts but don’t have a tv deal.  None of this adds up other than these owners are getting free money from tax payers . They are trying to hold cities hostage to there demands. Now it’s not just stadiums. They want casinos , hotels , and huge complexes .  Minnesota should tell Craig to walk. Let the nhl explain how Minnesota doesn’t have a team but supplies a fair share of players .  Enough of welfare for billionaires!! Get a job billionaire! 

Who tanked the economy ?  Biden is the only one i know who blew energy and mortgage interest rates  .   The Vikings stadium is paid off early why not use those etabs etc ..

[Up North Guy]

17 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I get Dean's rant about the money, but does OCL also own the X? I think the city owns it, and with most renovations, the owner gets to pay. Out of the cost of the renovation, how much is OCL putting up? 40%? 50%? 

It is my understanding that the X is also used for other events and not just Wild games. I would assume that most of the renovations that the Wild need will be paid through OCL and most of the renovations that are needed for all events are paid by the city via taxpayers. 

We can argue over whether the X really needs renovations, but the truth is that public places like this get used pretty hard, and fans don't take losses that easily. When was the last time the X was renovated? If it's been more than 10 years, I'd say it's due. Landlords have to do this all the time, unless they are slumlords. 

I'd also look into the lease which may mandate certain renovations that need to take place. Yes, you can always upgrade, but the upgrades should happen when the life of the items replacing have worn out. This would be a line item type of thing. For instance, if OCL wants to replace a perfectly good scoreboard with something newer and upgraded, this he should do himself. But, if the bathrooms need new fixtures because they're beaten up, this would be on the city. 

Just read about the X reno. Of the $750M the Wild would put up apron. $250M. The city would put up about $150M and the state would put up the rest. The X is 25 years old and has had a small reno about 10 years ago. This reno is also including the Riverfront Civic Center and the attached 100 year old theater. Some of the reno items are apparently mandatory. Some is much needed like locker rooms and ice plant. Some is something else like adding restaurants/bars to the outside of the X. Also, with the legislature spending the whole state budget surplus last year, there is scant interest in adding to the bonding bill (ie. the timing is very poor). 

[mnfaninnc]

3 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

Also, with the legislature spending the whole state budget surplus last year, there is scant interest in adding to the bonding bill (ie. the timing is very poor). 

So, is the State's share of the $350m left over supposed to come from a bonding bill? Why not just use the surplus?

[Protec]

I don't like subsidies period, but Brazo for Knudi was a sideways move. Gave each guy a new opportunity. Not unfair, just different vibe for each team. Not sure about Brazo yet but the Wild needed size. It won't be catastrophic if it doesn't work out. Might be Summer trades to include players like him too? 

I think Guerin likes to evaluate and move on for another try if it's not gonna fit his team. That's what he's shown many times. 

 

[Roberinzki]

They needed to throw in the pick to have Boston take back Lauko. He was injured way too often this season and could no longer depend on him being in the line up and the Wild are as cash strapped as it can get. Money in money out. Koozy may have been on the 4th line but he couldn't even sniff the net and his faceoffs were sub par to say the least. To be fair I think he could have used some seasoning in the minors but who knows if that would help enough. So, they went with a big player (with some possibly untapped upside) hoping he could add something the 4th line was missing and maybe even play him up the lineup if he hit. Not the greatest deal but also not bummed about it. 

[Up North Guy]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

So, is the State's share of the $350m left over supposed to come from a bonding bill? Why not just use the surplus?

There is only a very small projected surplus the next two years and it is shrinking by the day. The following period is projected to be a $6B deficit. They spent it all and raised taxes to spend even more. It is going to be pretty ugly financially for the state in the next few years.

[OldDutchChip]

On 3/19/2025 at 1:56 PM, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I don't dispute that it's very possible that Knudi could become a better player. To me, this was Guerin doing Khusnutdinov and his agent a favor since the Wild did not have cap space to keep him on the NHL roster after adding Nyquist.

With that being said, it's not clear that Khusnutdinov would have a major role at any future date with the Wild given the other developing prospects that could surpass his talent level in the near future, and the high likelihood they'll be bringing in a free agent and/or trading for the top 6 forward along with adding Yurov. Heidt is a similar prospect to him and Ohgren is likely to have a depth role as well.

You also are suggesting that Khusnutdinov will be centering the 2nd line for Boston, but they aren't even using him as a C while they are languishing near the bottom of the conference.  He's played over 74 minutes with Boston and taken 1 faceoff, which he lost.  They might view him only as a wing.

Billy should have sent marat to Iowa instead of boston (this was not a “solid” for Marat)

he Overpaid plain and simple 

just like w nyquist

based on your stat heavy analysis - braz is on track to finish season w wild with exactly zero pts….

Edited March 20 by OldDutchChip

[mnfaninnc]

16 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

There is only a very small projected surplus the next two years and it is shrinking by the day. The following period is projected to be a $6B deficit. They spent it all and raised taxes to spend even more. It is going to be pretty ugly financially for the state in the next few years.

That's usually how things go. Oooo, we have a surplus let's spend it all now! 

How do people vote these clowns in. Do they like having their taxes raised? But, more importantly for this website, do they like making our team less competitive for attracting free agents? There's a reason that Dallas, Nashville, Florida and even Nevada can attract some great talent. Their cap goes a certain % further than others. For instance in NC, it would be 2.25% larger than the Hurricanes can spend to in net $. I have no idea what the rate is in MN for that large of a salary. 

And don't think that the players don't know since most are foreigners. Their guys, their agents and financial advisers keep them informed of the tax implications of where they sign and how much more they can have in state income tax free states. So, by how much would we have to outbid Florida to get a Mitch Marner? It's not like we've got beach weather in the middle of the season either.

[mnfaninnc]

15 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

Billy should have sent marat to Iowa instead of boston (this was not a “solid” for Marat)

It is a solid when you consider MaRat was making 10% of what he was making on the Wild. It gives him back his salary. But, was development the problem or using MaRat in the wrong role?

I thought MaRat had some nice subtle passing moves. His button hook, go to move was still better than almost any NHLer. He still backed defenders off knowing it was coming because they couldn't skate quick enough to stay with him. If they anticipate it, boom, he spins and is gone. I think the downfall in MaRat's offensive game was he had 4th line wings with him. He was never going to drive offensive play by himself, he needed equality on his wings. Lauko was a good compliment of speed, but had stone hands. The other wing represented the flavor of the month at Ben & Jerry's. 

So, it looks like Boston bought into the Grape Knuts theme of the 2 players. They run a completely different system, and I think MaRat's speed on the wing can really help them. As for Brazos, hopefully he gets his timing down in this system. I haven't given up on him and have seen some good shifts. He just has to keep growing on those good shifts each chance he gets. 

[OldDutchChip]

5 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

It is a solid when you consider MaRat was making 10% of what he was making on the Wild. It gives him back his salary. But, was development the problem or using MaRat in the wrong role?

I thought MaRat had some nice subtle passing moves. His button hook, go to move was still better than almost any NHLer. He still backed defenders off knowing it was coming because they couldn't skate quick enough to stay with him. If they anticipate it, boom, he spins and is gone. I think the downfall in MaRat's offensive game was he had 4th line wings with him. He was never going to drive offensive play by himself, he needed equality on his wings. Lauko was a good compliment of speed, but had stone hands. The other wing represented the flavor of the month at Ben & Jerry's. 

So, it looks like Boston bought into the Grape Knuts theme of the 2 players. They run a completely different system, and I think MaRat's speed on the wing can really help them. As for Brazos, hopefully he gets his timing down in this system. I haven't given up on him and have seen some good shifts. He just has to keep growing on those good shifts each chance he gets. 

to me - this was not a solid, where Billy wanted to give Marat a fresh start, but more of a need to include him for the trade to go through. but regardless - i am not a fan of the trade, no matter what the reason was. 

I think the downfall in MaRat's offensive game was he had 4th line wings with him. He was never going to drive offensive play by himself, he needed equality on his wings. is that even a bad thing? no one can drive a play by himself on this team apart from Kaprizov! Marat was still young and learning to adapt to US system. Did all we asked of him and likely had a lot of carry over from KHL "responsible-two-way-system" that he followed, so he may have been a bit too cautious and the play with scraps didn't help. but again - i am not sure why he had to be used. just send him to iowa, and if you realy want that Braz guy - just give him Lauko for him.