Pittsburgh Penguins · Right wing · Shoots R

Justin Brazeau

Age 28 · 6'7" · 236 lb · Born in New Liskeard, CAN

Cap hit

$1.5M

1.4% of $104M cap

Term

1 yr

Through 2026-27, then UFA

Clause

None

Surplus value

+$3.159M

vs. $4.659M market estimate

Confirmed by the public signing announcement · source

2025-26 regular season

Goals

16.3% shooting

Assists

11 primary

Points

0.53 per game

TOI/GP

12:39

PP 1:02 · PK 0:00

Plus/minus

Hits

Blocks 44

PIM

Game Score

+0.62

per game

Game log

Last 5 games · NHL API

Game	SOG	HIT	BLK	TOI	PP	PK	FO	OZS%	GV	+/-	GS
Apr 22 @ PHI · L 5-2	0	2	1	8:24	0:00	0:00	—	100	0	0	+0.14
Apr 14 @ STL · L 7-5	1	0	2	16:41	0:59	0:00	—	0	2	-1	+0.07
Apr 12 @ WSH · L 3-0	2	0	1	13:24	0:45	0:00	—	25	0	0	+0.28
Apr 11 vs WSH · L 6-3	0	1	1	12:27	0:00	0:00	—	50	1	-1	-0.25
Apr 9 @ NJD · W 5-2	0	0	0	14:19	0:00	0:00	—	0	0	-1	-0.19

GS = our Game Score (credit for everything he did; goals and assists count most). FO = faceoffs won-lost. OZS% = share of his 5v5 offensive and defensive zone faceoff starts that were in the offensive zone. GV/TK = giveaways/takeaways.

Advanced metrics

5v5 unless noted · 2025-26 · 721 min · percentile vs. NHL forwards

xGF%50.0%

57th percentile

Relative xGF%-1.5

40th percentile

HDCF%48.6%

47th percentile

CF%49.0%

47th percentile

Relative CF%-0.8

42nd percentile

FF%49.4%

50th percentile

GF%55.4%

77th percentile

CF/6056.7

55th percentile

CA/6059.0

38th percentile

ixG/601.26

74th percentile

Goals above expected+1.8

79th percentile

IPP65.9%

54th percentile

PDO102.5

82nd percentile

OZS%67.5%

91st percentile

xGF% is his team's share of 5v5 expected goals while he was on the ice, from our own expected goals model; HDCF% counts only high-danger chances (xG of 0.15 or more). IPP is the share of his team's 5v5 goals while he was on the ice that he scored or assisted on. Relative stats compare him with his team when he was off the ice. Goals above expected and ixG/60 use his own shots at all strengths. PDO and OZS% describe luck and deployment, so their bars are grey.

Play styleAggressive two-way winger

Trait percentiles vs. NHL wingers · 2025-26

Brazeau is a dynamic offensive player with elite zone entry speed and above-average shooting and passing skills who gets into position quickly. His greatest limitation is defensive awareness, and he needs to improve puck control to fully unlock his potential.

High-volume shooterAggressive forecheckSlot specialist

Shooting volume: 75
Playmaking: 74
Zone entries(est.): 91
Forechecking: 61
Physicality: 70
Defensive impact: 32
Puck management: 44
Speed: 16

Where he shoots from

Slot 75% · Mid-range 19% · Perimeter 7%(161 unblocked shots)

Strengths

Elite rush chances at 91st percentile make him a dangerous transition threat
75th percentile shooting volume with 75% of shots from the slot shows offensive intent
74th percentile playmaking gives linemates quality chances alongside his own scoring

Watch-outs

Defensive impact ranks 32nd percentile, suggesting gaps in positional play and coverage
Speed at just 16th percentile limits his recovery ability after turnovers
Puck management at 44th percentile means occasional careless decisions with the puck

Similar style: Dmitri Voronkov (CBJ), Ryan Hartman (MIN)

Built from play-by-play, shift data, and NHL EDGE tracking. Zone entries is an estimate (rush chances while he is on the ice) until tracking data is added.

Career stats

From the NHL's player records

NHL regular season NHL playoffs All leagues

Season	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	SOG	S%	TOI	FO%
2023-24	Boston Bruins	9	1	1	2	+1	12	11	9.1	11:56	—
2024-25	Minnesota Wild	6	0	2	2	+1	0	2	0.0	7:57	—
2025-26	Pittsburgh Penguins	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	8:24	—
Career	3 seasons	16	1	3	4	+2	12	13	7.7	10:13	—

Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team.

Latest news

Headlines from news outlets and team blogs

No news about him in the last 30 days.

Sentiment & chatter

Fans

—

Beat writers

—

Media

—

Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.

Recent Game Scores

Last 10 games · goals above average

+3.1

+3.1NYI3/30

+1.5

+1.5DET3/31

-0.3TBL4/2

+0.3

+0.3FLA4/4

+0.1

+0.1FLA4/5

-0.2NJD4/9

-0.2WSH4/11

+0.3

+0.3WSH4/12

+0.1

+0.1STL4/14

+0.1

+0.1PHI4/22

Average +0.48 per game over these 10.

Where his Game Score comes from

+0.62 per game

2025-26 · 64 GP

Season total +39.4, or +0.62 per game.

Scoring: +27.7
Shooting: +7.8
5-on-5 goals: +1.2
Defense: -0.4
Physical play: +4.0
Puck battles: -1.4
Penalties: +0.6

Game Score gives credit for everything a player does in a game. Goals (1.0) and assists (0.7 primary, 0.5 secondary) count most; shots, blocks, hits, takeaways, penalties drawn, faceoff wins, killing penalties, and holding down the other team's chances add to it. Only mistakes subtract: goals against at 5-on-5, giveaways, penalties taken, faceoff losses, and allowing more chances than an average player would. A player who is there to defend or kill penalties is not marked down for not scoring. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.

Skating · NHL EDGE

2025-26, as of Oct 2

Top speed: 21.5 mph; 19th pct
20+ mph bursts: 37
Hardest shot: 85.7 mph; 55th pct
Distance: 127.1 mi
OZ time: 40.9%; 34th pct
DZ time: 41.0%

Usage

Last game: vs MTL, Oct 3

Not on a regular line last game.

From the NHL's shift chart.

Age curve

At 28: 93% of peak

NHL forwards · production index

202937

At 28, forwards typically produce 93% of their peak (age 24).

From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.

Contract by season

1 season left

Season	Team	Cap hit	% of cap
2026-27	PIT	$1.5M	1.4%

UFA after 2026-27. $1.5M in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).