The Bruins are trying to figure out what they want their bottom six to look like, and they’re trying to figure out if they have the pieces internally to get it to look that way.
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With that in mind, and with Boston entering Monday on a four-game losing streak, the Bruins made an interesting move to shake things up.
The team announced before Monday afternoon’s game against the Dallas Stars that it has signed forward Justin Brazeau to a two-year, two-way contract with an NHL cap hit of $775,000, and recalled him from AHL Providence. In a corresponding move, the Bruins waived forward Oskar Steen on Sunday.
Brazeau is a 26-year-old, late-blooming power forward-type player who will be making his NHL debut on Monday. He is listed at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds.
That size is what stands out first and foremost, and it’s also what differentiates him from the Bruins’ most recent crop of fourth-line options. Jesper Boqvist and Jakub Lauko are listed at 6-foot-1, while Steen and Anthony Richard stand at 5-foot-10. None of them top 200 pounds.
Brazeau, who was playing in Providence on an AHL contract and therefore needed to be signed to an NHL deal, isn’t here just because of his size, though.
He was also productive in Providence, putting up 37 points (18 goals, 19 assists) in 49 games while playing high in the lineup with skilled players like Georgii Merkulov and Fabian Lysell. He had nine points (5 goals, 4 assists) in his last eight games before getting called up.
“Someone who all year has made his linemates better,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said when asked what the reports on Brazeau out of Providence have been. “It hasn’t mattered who they’ve played him with, he’s been able to make them better. He’s a puck possession guy, he’s heavy down low, so he fits what we’re kind of looking for to add to the bottom six. So, it’s an opportunity for him. He’s been a great player down in the American League, and we want to see if that’s gonna translate to the NHL.”
The questions for Brazeau will be whether or not his skating is good enough to keep pace at the NHL level. It's also worth noting that while he's big and will bring some physicality, he hasn't been much of a fighter at the AHL level.
Still, it's a great story for him just to get here. Brazeau went undrafted out of the OHL and spent much of his first three pro seasons bouncing between the AHL and ECHL. He started in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization before moving to the Bruins organization in 2021.
"I love it. I mean, what a great story," Montgomery said Brazeau's journey. "Someone who started out on I think an East Coast/American League two-way deal and fought his way to earn an American League deal, and now he's earned all his way up. ... His dream was to play in the NHL, and he's worked his way up to earn this opportunity. It's a great story. I'm grateful to be a part of it, to be honest."
As for Steen, he had just one point in 34 NHL games this season. While he works hard and is actually fairly physical for a player his size, the Bruins could only wait so long before trying to find a way to squeeze more offense out of the fourth line.
Richard, who scored his first goal as a Bruin on Saturday and has brought some energy in the four games he’s played since getting called up, has clearly passed Steen on the depth chart in the eyes of the Bruins’ brass, so he’ll get to remain in Boston for the time being while Steen will be assigned to Providence if he clears waivers.
"Really happy with what Steener has given us," Montgomery said of Steen. "...We feel Steener has given us everything he possibly could. It's just when you're not winning, you make changes, and he's the one that we've decided to make a change on."