When general manager Kyle Dubas was able to sign Justin Brazeau to a short 2-year deal worth not a lot of money this offseason, little did he know how well Brazeau would play. Going into signing him, Dubas should have understood how good Brazeau is at using his size in front of the net.
And so far, this year with the Penguins, he has done just that and has used it to his ability and is one of his biggest strengths. It also helps him that he has been playing with linemates that complement him really well.
He was used to playing on the second line with Anthony Mantha and Evgeni Malkin. But Malkin has been out for a bit with an undisclosed injury, so Tommy Novak has been centering Mantha and Brazeau as of late and even that line looks great.
So much so, that Brazeau scored his first goal against the Blackhawks off of a nifty pass from Anthony Mantha that big winger put into the back of the net. On Brazeau's second goal of the game, he put home a net front feed from Ville Koivunen for the goal.
And on his third goal of the game, Brazeau tipped home a shot from Connor Dewar and the Penguins that were on the ice with Brazeau celebrated with him. It was Brazeau's first hat trick of his career and what a time for it.
The Penguins have been struggling as of late, and it was nice to see the big winger be able to put up 3 goals and his first career hat trick. It was a great time for it as the Penguins in general had been struggling to score goals and find consistency.
Once Evgeni Malkin makes his return hopefully sometime soon, the production from this line should continue to take off. Mantha and Brazeau being able to produce as well as they have so far this year when they are on short-term bargain contracts, says a lot about how well Dubas did with these signings.
The Penguins are getting insane production from Brazeau, and he is going unnoticed throughout the league. It seems like the only ones noticing him are his own team and their own fans. Being an underrated and underappreciated player is nice for Brazeau because he can keep scoring when the noise is not behind him.
He can keep doing his thing and quietly lighting up the scoreboard. If the Penguins are wanting to go on a consistent run, this is going to have to continue. Brazeau is capable with his big body and net-front presence and really nice hands.