2018 Player Report Card: Derick Brassard

Name: Derick Brassard

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Age: 30 (31 on 9/22/2018)

2017/2018 Stats:

Senators stats: GP: 58, G: 18, A: 20, P: 38

Penguins stats: GP: 14, G: 3, A: 5, P: 8

Playoffs: GP: 12, G: 1, A: 3, P: 4

Career Resume

Image via: hockeyDB

***

With the Ottawa Senators in complete meltdown mode, (are they still there?) the team that came up one goal short of going to the Stanley Cup Final the year prior got into the trade game knowing they were done competing for the year.

The Penguins, wanting to acquire a legitimate player capable of handling duties on the “third line” akin to Nick Bonino, who was an integral part to the last two Stanley Cup-winning teams, made a hefty deal for Ottawa’s Derick Brassard.

The deal gave the Penguins arguably the best 4-line center combination in the league with Crosby, Malkin, Brassard, and Riley Sheahan. Even looking at it now gives me goosebumps.

***

Brassard and Fancy Stats

Image via: Hockey Reference

The data seems to say that Brassard’s possession metrics took a dip when inserted into the Penguins’ lineup. A sub-50% CF% and FF% aren’t ideal for team puck possession, but in a 14-game sample size compared to his 2017-18 sample from the Sens, the data is bound to be skewed. I’ll take my chances and say, with a full season under his belt in a Penguins sweater, especially with the talent that is going to be placed around him, Big Game Brass is in for a rebound.

***

Season Splits and Miscellaneous Stats

Image via: Yahoo!

Looking over Brass’ stats, I wasn’t sure what kind of home/away, day/night splits to include because of the large sample with the Senators, so I present to you a game log of all of Brassard’s games as a Penguin.

The section that may catch everyone’s attention is the game log between March 14 and March 25. Everyone was oh so quick to proclaim the Brassard trade as a failure because he wasn’t doing anything.

“I’d rather have Ian Cole!”

“They gave up Ian Cole for THAT?”

Before a groin injury kept him out of action until the beginning of the postseason, Brassard was becoming more noticeable, notching a respectable six-game point streak.

Tweets and Praise

Final Grades

Even Strength: C

The aforementioned possession metrics weren’t great. Combine that with his overall sluggish start and minutes played as a Penguin, and I’ll give him a passing grade with the benefit of the doubt.

Special Teams: D

1 PPG in the 14 games he played as a Penguin. No power-play assists registered. Ehh.

Durability: C

The groin injury that halted his point streak was a slight determent to his overall durability. Did it affect his postseason run? That’s hard to pin down given his role on the team. He wasn’t invisible during the playoffs, just average, in my opinion.

Playoffs: C

4 points in 12 GP including that nasty snipe in the video up above. Not a whole lot to go on. Not a whole lot to overanalyze, either.

Overall Grade: C

FINAL WORD: GMJR acquired Brassard to beef up the center depth and I say the Penguins still won the deal with Ottawa. I think some fans wanted a bit too much from Brass. And others held Ian Cole to a weird, Bobby Orr-like standard. For a player of his caliber at a $3 million salary (thanks, Vegas!) combined with the multitude of weapons the Penguins still have at their disposal, I think the team, and Brassard, will fare much better come October.

***