Penguins sign winger Justin Brazeau to two-year contract

A product of New Liskeard, Ontario, Brazeau spent his junior career with the OHL’s North Bay Battalion and went undrafted before turning pro in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization (at that point under the purview of current Penguins GM Kyle Dubas).

Brazeau never played a game with the Maple Leafs but eventually found his way to Boston, where he emerged as a capable bottom-six option with the Bruins late in the 2023-24 season. He amassed five goals and seven points in 19 games with the Bruins in 2023-24 before adding two points in nine playoff games that spring.

A pending UFA with the Bruins in 2024-25, Brazeau ended up being sent to the Wild ahead of the 2025 trade deadline in exchange for Marat Khusnutdinov, Jakub Lauko, and a 2026 sixth-round pick.

Brazeau struggled to find a place with the Wild after the trade, scoring just two points in his final 19 games of the 2024-25 season and being held goalless in the playoffs. The Wild opted not to re-sign Brazeau before the 2025 UFA period opened.

In 95 career NHL games over parts of two seasons with the Bruins and Wild, Brazeau has collected 16 goals and 29 points. He’s added four points in 15 playoff games.

Brazeau now joins a Penguins team that has been moderately active in this UFA signing period, adding defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, re-signing forwards Connor Dewar and Philip Tomasino, and trading away goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. The Penguins are widely expected to finish near the bottom of the NHL standings in the 2025-26 season.