With the Boston Bruins having won just four of their last 10 games and with four straight losses entering play on Monday, they've made a bit of a shakeup with the team's forward lines. Mark Allred of Black and Gold Productions reported on Sunday afternoon that the Bruins have signed forward Justin Brazeau to a two-way contract and that the winger is expected to play in Monday's game against the Dallas Stars.
The Bruins have called up a couple players in Providence that had been having good seasons at different points, with Jesper Boqvist, Georgii Merkulov, Mason Lohrei, and most recently Anthony Richard playing in Boston either currently or at some point this season.
Brazeau is another player who's being rewarded for a strong season, with the Bruins signing him for the rest of this season and all of next year at a $775,000 NHL cap hit. He was scheduled to be a UFA this summer and will have UFA status at the end of the 2024-2025 season.
Bruins reward Justin Brazeau's strong season with two-way NHL contract
Through 49 games this season, the 6'-5" 220-pound right winger has 18 goals and 19 assists in his third season with the P-Bruins, playing most of the season on Providence's top line. He had 31 points in 51 games in 2021-2022 and a career-best 45 points in 67 games in 2022-2023, chipping in 16 goals and 29 assists.
Brazeau's 6'-5" size gives him a big advantage playing net-front, which is his role on the P-Bruins power play and something he has no problem doing. He's not a fighter but he does bring physicality along the boards and creates separation by the net, allowing him to redirect shots and cash in rebound chances.
The net-front presence Brazeau brings reminds me a lot of James van Riemsdyk this season, a player who's never afraid of going to the dirty areas and depositing loose change into the net. For van Riemsdyk, that's paid dividends for him in the NHL this year, and the same could very well be true for Brazeau.