The writing was on the wall, and now Justin Braun has made it official.
The writing was on the wall in the Philadelphia Flyers’ season finale against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center. Justin Braun was playing in his last NHL game, and his postgame comments all but confirmed it.
"Every guy I've played with, it's been an absolute honor," said Braun. "It's a tough day, but it was a great run."
Monday, Braun's retirement became official.
A seventh-round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Braun ended up putting together a solid career as a reliable stay-at-home defenseman. Braun played 13 seasons in the NHL — nine with the San Jose Sharks and four with the Flyers (plus a brief stint with the New York Rangers after being dealt ahead of the 2022 trade deadline). Braun's teams qualified for the postseason nine times (10 if you include his stint with the Rangers), and in 2015-16, Braun's Sharks advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before being eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In 842 games, the 36-year-old logged 34 goals and 165 assists for 199 total points. The Flyers gifted Braun some time on the power play in their season finale with the hope that he’d hit the 200-point mark, but he was unable to etch his name on the scoresheet in the tilt.
The Flyers acquired Braun from the Sharks in 2019 in exchange for a pair of draft picks. He ended up playing a key role for the Flyers as a steady defender during their last run to the playoffs in 2019-20 while establishing himself as a commended veteran presence in the locker room.
He ends his tenure as a Flyer with nine goals and 43 total points in 227 games.