By now, we all know who the highest-paid player is currently on the Boston Bruins. To nobody's surprise, David Pastrnak holds the highest contract with an AAV of $11.25 million, but who has the lowest-paid contract for the Black and Gold?
Over the last couple of seasons, GM Don Sweeney has had to hand out some team-friendly contracts with veterans to fill out his roster before making a big splash last week in free agency with Elias Lindholm ($7.57 million AAV) and Nikita Zadorov ($5 million AAV). But who exactly has the smallest contract currently for the Bruins? According to PuckPedia, youngster Justin Brazeau has the lowest-paid contract on the books for Boston with an AAV of $775,000.
Justin Brazeau hold the lowest-paid contract for the Bruins, but his contributions have been needed
Brazeau's time in Boston has been a short one to date, however, he has made an impact during his first 19 regular season games and nine postseason games this past spring. He was called up from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) and wasted little time making an impact, scoring in his first game against the Dallas Stars on Feb. 19 in a 4-3 shootout win for the Black and Gold.
JUSTIN BRAZEAU! FIRST NHL GOAL IN HIS FIRST NHL GAME! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/E5WBYA2xUB
— NHL (@NHL) February 19, 2024
In his next 18 regular season games, Brazeau finished with four goals, including two against the Ottawa Senators on March 19, and a pair of assists. He averaged just over 11 minutes a game, but he plays a heavy game that fits the Bruins style and helped him become a fan-favorite quickly. In the playoffs, he had a goal and an assist. His goal came in Game 1 against the Florida Panthers in the second round.
For the record, Vinni Lettieri, who was acquired from the Minnesota Wild two weeks ago for Jakub Lauko, carries the same AAV, however, he's not expected to make the roster out of camp. Brazeau, on the other hand, looks to be a key part of Jim Montgomery's bottom six moving forward into 2024-25.