VANCOUVER − Justin Brazeau traveled from Raleigh to Denver where he had a two-hour layover before meeting up with the Wild on Friday afternoon in western Canada.
Justin Brazeau had a long day, but made it to Vancouver in time for Wild game
The 27-year-old winger was acquired in a trade from Boston on Thursday night, and made his debut in the Wild’s 3-1 loss.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 8, 2025 at 7:10PM
“Ate a little bit,” he said. “Threw my suitcase down and came to the rink.”
Brazeau’s journey also took him from a non-playoff team to one very much in contention, the winger part of a Boston exodus that reinforced the Wild’s push with the size and strength they’d been lacking.
“A bit of a crazy day,” Brazeau said after he made his team debut in the 3-1 loss to the Canucks. “Obviously, a lot of emotions. Kind of haven’t really gone through anything like this before, and obviously a little bit of a longer day with the travel from Raleigh.
“But the guys are great, welcoming me in when I got here and making me feel really comfortable, so it was good.”
The Wild added Brazeau, 27, Thursday night from the Bruins for forwards Jakub Lauko and Marat Khusnutdinov and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick that was originally acquired from Boston.
He “had a feeling something might be coming,” and he wasn’t the only one on the move. With the Bruins behind the playoff pace in the Eastern Conference, they dealt captain Brad Marchand to Florida, former Wild forward Charlie Coyle to Colorado and defenseman Brandon Carlo to Toronto.
“Obviously, good friends that I got to know last year a bit,” Brazeau said. “So, just one of those days where if you don’t you don’t perform at the beginning of the year, something like this happens.”
An undrafted free agent who was in the American Hockey League and ECHL for parts of five seasons before making his NHL debut last year — a game vs. Dallas in which he scored — Brazeau went on to appear in nine playoff games for Boston.
His first career playoff goal came in Game 1 of the second round, extending the Bruins’ 5-1 rout of the Panthers.
“It helps to have something to kind of fall back on,” said Brazeau, who has 10 goals and 10 assists this season, “and know that if you play the right way and I play my game, I’ll be fine.”
But before then, Brazeau can impact the Wild by leveraging his 6-foot-6, 227-pound frame in the offensive zone to help the team hold onto pucks and be tough to move around the net.
That’s how the Wild played throughout their road trip finale against Vancouver, outshooting the Canucks 38-19, but their execution didn’t match their pressure.
Their new-look lineup, though, won’t have to wait long to get another crack.
Upon their return to Minnesota, the Wild will begin a season-long seven-game homestand Sunday afternoon vs. Pittsburgh — a chance to continue to battle for playoff seeding and for Brazeau to get more familiar with his new team.
“I’m excited,” he said. “It’s a good team in here. I think we can make some noise in the playoffs, so we’ve just gotta make sure we’re playing the right way when we get in there so that we’re ready to go.”
The 27-year-old winger was acquired in a trade from Boston on Thursday night, and made his debut in the Wild’s 3-1 loss.
