He doesn't cost much money, but the future between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Justin Brazeau remains bleak. After a strong start to the previous season, the second half of the campaign saw the surging winger fallback to his previous career performances. Despite his second half woes, Brazeau is coming off the best year of his career, but that doesn't necessarily mean positive news.
Usually, when a player is coming off their best season of their careers, they should feel confident about their roster spot and potentially see elevated playing time going into the following campaign.
Brazeau is in a unique spot as the veteran might not only lose playing time, but he could struggle to hang onto a roster spot. There is a ton of young and talented wingers who will be vying for jobs come training camp.
Although the forward was producing at an astronomical rate to start the season last year, his second half left a lot to be desired. He shrunk back into his nominal role that has barely kept his NHL career afloat. The Penguins would love to see Brazeau produce more consistently compared to what they saw early into the campaign last year. Anything short of that could raise some red flags.
Don't be shocked if the Pittsburgh Penguins and Justin Brazeau split up sometime this season
The good news for Brazeau and Pittsburgh is that the winger is scheduled to hit free agency in 2027. It will allow the veteran to attempt lengthening his career after leaving the Penguins, and they won't need to pay him anymore. He only cost $1.5 million against their cap space, so his contract isn't anything astronomical. That could become more of a negative if he isn't on NHL ice this season.
As we get closer to training camp, the Penguins appear ready to have a competitive event in place.
They will have young wingers like Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes, and potentially other skaters vying for Brazeau's job. You shouldn't like those odds being stacked against you if you are the veteran winger. The Penguins want to get younger, and they certainly should aim to accomplish that.
It's amazing how things can shift for a player within the span of four months. Brazeau was having a terrific first three months to the season, but it seemed that things changed for the worse after the holiday break hit the league. He couldn't produce at the same rate, and that could've resulted after he lost his linemates of Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Mantha, who were an effective group.
Unless the winger finds a way to produce a fantastic training camp to make the roster, his time in Pittsburgh might be over.
The team could always trade him for pennies on the dollar or subject him to waivers and send him down to the AHL if all else fails. This won't be an easy decision for the Penguins, but the hope is that one of the younger forwards can take over Brazeau's spot in the lineup.
Add us as a preferred source on Google