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Justin Brazeau shares his thoughts on returning to the Penguins lineup tonight
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Justin Brazeau missed all of November but he's set to return, and he opened up about what he's feeling upon his return to the lineup.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Justin Brazeau was off to a great start to his season before he was hurt, and he missed the entire month of November and the team's first few games in December.
But he's returned to the lineup, playing in Pittsburgh's 3-2 S/O loss to the Dallas Stars.
He spoke about what he's feeling now that he's back on the ice and admitted that he's disappointed that the injury took place when he was off to such a good start.
It's not ideal. Things happen. It's the way you bounce back. I'm feeling good right now. Had a good last couple of weeks being able to get back into the gym and get that strength back. I feel pretty good health-wise. Just trying to build on what I had.
Brazeau is playing in his first year in a Penguins sweater, as he was signed by GM Kyle Dubas over the summer to a two year contract with an AAV (average annual value) of $1.5 million.
He was delivering well above his value with 12 points (6G, 6A) in 12 games before getting hurt.
As far as his own expectations go, he's focused more overall on the team rather than his own stats.
I don't really set goals in terms of points and that. It's more about how I feel. Coming in, my expectation was to just play with as much confidence as I could. Obviously, I was told I was going to get a chance to play with guys like (Malkin). You just have to do your best to read off them and try to make their life as easy as possible because they're the guys you want to have the puck on their stick.
Penguins Forward Justin Brazeau Missed All Of November With An Injury
Brazeau was never drafted into the NHL and played with both the Toronto Marlies and the Providence Bruins before eventually signing a two year deal with the Boston Bruins in 2024.
Last year, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild for Marat Khusnutdinov, Jakub Lauko and a draft pick.
In 108 career NHL games, Brazeau has 41 points (22G, 19A).
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 9 | 96 ANSWERS Justin Brazeau shares his thoughts on returning to the Penguins lineup tonight Can Justin Brazeau continue to put up a point-per-game scoring pace? | ||
| Yes | 48 | 50 % |
| No | 48 | 50 % |
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