The Pittsburgh Penguins have brought in several new players this off-season as they continue to retool their roster. Among the Penguins' newcomers is winger Justin Brazeau, as the Metropolitan Division club signed him to a two-year, $3 million contract.
While this was a bit of a quieter signing in the NHL, Brazeau has the potential to be a nice surprise for the Penguins.
Brazeau has shown at times that he has the potential to provide both secondary scoring and physicality early on in his NHL career. After making the jump to the NHL with the Boston Bruins in 2023-24, the 6-foot-6 winger posted five goals, seven points, and 43 hits in 19 games. During this past season, he had 11 goals, 22 points, and 123 hits in 76 games split between the Bruins and the Minnesota Wild. He also recorded two assists in six playoff games for Minnesota.
Ultimately, with the Penguins needing more grit and depth scoring, there is no harm in them taking a shot on a big forward like Brazeau. At times with the Bruins, he demonstrated that he has some offensive upside, and now that he is entering his third NHL season, it will be intriguing to see if he taps into it a bit more.
When looking at the Penguins' roster, Brazeau could have a real shot of playing in their top nine. Furthermore, due to his effectiveness in front of the net, he also could get reps on the Penguins' power play. Thus, he could have more chances to succeed on a team like Pittsburgh.
Nevertheless, it is going to be intriguing to see how Brazeau fits into the Penguins' system from here. If he becomes a more consistent scorer while maintaining his tenacious style of play, he could be a sweet pickup for the Penguins.
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