By: Jason Cooke | Follow me on Twitter / X @cookejournalism
If the Boston Bruins made one thing clear this offseason during free agency, it was that they felt as though they were in dire need of size. And they weren’t wrong—the Bruins’ lack of physicality and overall toughness was on full display in their six-game rout at the hands of the Florida Panthers in the second round of the playoffs, making it a glaring area of weakness that needed attention.
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With the acquisition of Mark Kastelic from the Ottawa Senators and the signings of Max Jones, Riley Tufte, and Nikita Zadorov, among others, the Bruins certainly did just that. All said players are above 6’2”, highlighted by the 6’6” frame of Tufte and the 6’5” build of Zadorov. The 2024-25 Bruins will surely be bigger, stronger, and grittier.
While Zadorov will immediately slot into a top-four role on the backend, if Kastelic, Jones, or Tufte yearn to crack Jim Montgomery’s lineup, it will likely be on a to-be-determined fourth line, replacing Pat Maroon’s role, which he briefly served for the final leg of the Bruins’ season. But if any of Don Sweeney’s offseason pickups hope to make that a reality, one returning player will stand in their way. And that is Justin Brazeau.
Brazeau signed a two-year, two-way contract in February after beginning the season on an American Hockey League deal before taking the league by storm in his 19-game regular season stint that landed him on the lineup card in the playoffs after recovering from an injury. Brazeau proved that he could very well be a middle-six cornerstone—never mind a fourth liner—but that’s where he’ll likely start this season, and it’s who the newcomers will have to beat out for a spot on the B’s new and improved roster.
The 6’5”, 220-pound Brazeau slotted in Boston’s bottom line from the get-go. He found twine in his first National Hockey League game against the Dallas Stars on February 19, ultimately catching fire in March and producing a three-game goal streak with four tallies. Brazeau even occupied the net-front role on the second power play unit. When it was all said and done, the 26-year-old posted 5-2-7 in 19 regular season contests before recording a goal and an assist in nine playoff games. It was quite the debut for the undrafted free agent.
“I always had the belief that I could be here and do this type of stuff,” Brazeau said following his first career playoff goal. “I wouldn’t say I had no belief in it, but obviously, it was a bit of a far-fetch just coming into the year just on an AHL deal.”
That’s an understatement. Brazeau made some noise in Providence in 49 games before his promotion, totaling 18-19-37 following a complete season with Providence in 2022-23 and a split campaign between Boston’s AHL club and the Maine Mariners in 2021-22. And that’s after he made his AHL debut in 2019 with the Toronto Marlies. It was quite the journey to the top.
“Yeah, obviously for myself, it was a bit of a crazy year,” he said at the team’s break-up day in May. “Obviously starting just on an AHL deal in Providence, and then finishing the year here. Definitely came a long way this year. I thought parts of my game really took a big step forward, and I was really happy with how the year ended.”
And if Brazeau returns for his first full season in the NHL the way he left off in the spring, there will be a roster spot with his name on it. While his stature may suggest Brazeau is a physical, tenacious power forward, that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. While he didn’t exactly bode with the typical fourth-line archetype, his style of play translated perfectly to the NHL level.
Just because he wasn’t looking to take someone’s head off didn’t mean he didn’t know how to use his body. He excelled at winning puck battles in the corners, using his wide frame to shield the puck from defenders to create offense. He’d often cycle the puck below the goal line before making his way to the net front to become a presence. It wasn’t necessarily perfect, but it got the job done.
But what stood out the most in Brazeau’s game was his raw skill, another trait that you don’t always find buried on the fourth line. For a player of his size, Brazeau’s hands are very impressive. His first career playoff game against Florida is a perfect example of his scoring touch, driving to the net with a defender on his hip before dragging the puck toward his body and tucking it into the back of the net in one crisp motion. It wasn’t something Brazeau was expected to be able to do at that moment and at that level, but he did. And he did it with ease.
Though it was a small sample size, Brazeau proved to the Bruins brass upstairs that he is an everyday NHL’er and someone Boston can heavily rely on in the future to anchor a bottom-six role. And how can you not love his story?
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