With the Pittsburgh Penguins entering the offseason after a brief return to the postseason, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 53 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until future seasons — with the organization.

Starting with veteran Noel Acciari and going on through to prospect Bill Zonnon, every player will be profiled in alphabetical order.

This series is scheduled to be published every day until June 24, two days before the start of the NHL Draft. In the event of a transaction, that schedule will be altered as necessary.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Puckpedia.)

Justin Brazeau

Position: Right winger

Shoots: Right

Age: 28

Height: 6-foot-6

Weight: 232 pounds

2025-26 NHL regular season statistics: 64 games, 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists), 12:39 of average ice time per contest

2025-26 NHL regular season statistics: One game, zero points (zero goals, zero assists), 8:42 of ice time

Contract: In the first year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $1.5 million. Pending Unrestricted free agent in 2027

Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, July 1, 2025

This season: When the Penguins signed Brazeau, the assumption was the undrafted journeyman would simply provide depth in a bottom-six capacity as a beefy power forward.

So, eyebrows were raised when he skated on the right wing of the team’s second line with Evgeni Malkin at center and Anthony Mantha on the left wing.

And he immediately put that curiosity to rest when he scored the team’s first goal of the season in a tone-setting 3-0 road win against the New York Rangers on Oct. 7.

Brazeau wound up being one of the primary drivers of the team’s outstanding start to the season as he produced 12 points (six goals, six assist) in 12 games while the team went 8-2-2.

His white-hot start came to an immediate halt at the start of November when an undisclosed injury landed him on injured reserve and sidelined him for 14 games.

Back in the lineup by Dec. 7, Brazeau wasn’t quite capable of maintaining the scoring pace he established as he generated only 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in his final 52 games of the season.

Not coincidentally, much of Brazeau’s diminished pace came when Malkin was either sidelined by his own maladies or playing on a different line.

Even with a slower rate of production, Brazeau managed to contribute a handful of memorable moments, including his first career hat trick during a 7-3 road win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 28.

Two nights later, Brazeau established a new career high with his 12th goal as he recorded the winning score during one of the Penguins’ signature triumphs of the season, a 5-1 home victory against the Carolina Hurricanes.

He even enjoyed a three-game assignment on the top line next to center Sidney Crosby in late January and early February when Bryan Rust was suspended for three games.

Largely relegated to the third line for most of the second half of the regular season, Brazeau labored to find the net down the stretch. In his final 19 games of the campaign, he was limited to a single goal. An undisclosed injury that cost him four games in mid-March did not help matters.

In the postseason, Brazeau was a healthy scratch for five of the Penguins’ six games in a first-round loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. That decision was based on the ascension of forward Elmer Soderblom, a trade deadline acquisition, as well as Brazeau’s limited offense in the final months of the regular season.

The future: Brazeau figures to be one of the Penguins’ middle-six forwards going into next season. A few other things need to be sorted out – such as Malkin’s status as a pending unrestricted free agent – before it can be determined if Brazeau is on the second or third line. But his place with the organization is clearly more defined at this moment than when he arrived.

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Consistency would help Brazeau make a case for a more prominent role, including steadier work on the power play. As detailed above, his production waned considerably in the second half of the season, especially when he dropped down the lineup. At the same time, it wouldn’t be accurate to suggest his success was a product of playing with Malkin. Brazeau displayed enough offensive touch to create chances on his own.

Regardless, even with his streakiness, Brazeau has a secure station with the Penguins after he broke through last season.