Former Bruins forward Justin Brazeau is continuing to be one of the NHL's biggest surprises this season.
During this past season, the Boston Bruins were big-time sellers. It was understandable, as they disappointed in a major way during the 2024-25 season, and it was clear that they were not going to make the playoffs.
Due to this, the Bruins traded away several players ahead of the 2025 NHL trade deadline. Among them was forward Justin Brazeau, as the Bruins traded the 6-foot-6 forward to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Marat Khusnutdinov, Jakub Lauko, and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
However, Brazeau's time with the Wild would end up being very short, as he signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins in free agency this past summer. Now, this is looking like one of the best signings of the 2025 NHL off-season, as the former Bruins forward is thriving in Pittsburgh.
Brazeau has already scored a career-high 12 goals and has recorded 20 points in just 24 games for the Penguins this season. With numbers like these, Brazeau has become a very important offensive contributor for the Penguins and has found a home in their top six because of it.
Brazeau has also been red-hot as of late, as he has posted four goals and six points over his last three games alone for the Penguins.
Brazeau showed flashes of offensive potential during his time with the Bruins. In 57 games for the Bruins during this past season, before being traded to Minnesota, he recorded 10 goals and 20 points. He also had five goals and seven points in 19 games for Boston during the 2023-24 season after signing his first NHL contract. Yet, he is now taking his game to a new level with the Penguins and showing that he can be a very impactful offensive player.
In 76 games over two seasons with the Bruins, Brazeau recorded 15 goals, 12 assists, 27 points, 38 blocks, and 132 hits.