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Trade Deadline Candidate: Brassard + Thoughts on Realignment and Rivalries |
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Derrick Brassard is at a crossroads in his Columbus Blue Jackets career. Drafted sixth overall in 2006, the 25 year-old Brassard should be dead in the prime of his career but has yet to reach the 50-point threshold in any single season in his career. This year he has 15 points in 27 contests, good enough to be tied for the team lead with Vinny Prospal but it’s a full season pace of just 46. That’s a far cry from what was expected of Brassard when he was drafted.
In his draft year, playing for Drummondville of the QMJHL, Brassard tallied 116 points in just 58 games. That’s an average of two points per and placed him 7th overall in league scoring despite playing fewer games that season than all six of the skaters ahead of him on the list. The skill is undoubtedly there yet the results have only been middling to date.
Brassard has a terrific shot yet doesn’t use it frequently enough. This year he has only 50 and has averaged two or more per game just once in his career (2010-2011 when he recorded 183). The top scorers in this league average three or better.
The six year veteran center has one more year on his contract at $3.2MM before he becomes a RFA and with Columbus playing well right now it may not be necessary to move Brassard. However, he could be an ideal change of scenery target. Another club might have a former top prospect of their own that hasn’t panned out as projected and think a move might benefit both players.
One team who could fit that mold is the New York Islanders. They have Kyle Okposo who they felt would develop into a solid power forward when they selected him one spot after Brassard in 2006. He’s had some good seasons, including a 24-goal campaign just last year, but this year he is playing a mostly defensive role and has just 10 points in 28 contests. Would an Okposo-for-Brassard trade work for both teams? I’ll say this; Brassard would probably look great on a line with Moulson and Tavares but that’s just my opinion.
Clubs looking to add another skilled guy to one of their top two lines could see Brassard as a good bet to reach his potential surrounded by more talented offensive players. Teams in this situation have a choice as the deadline draws near. They can either try to pay less to acquire the upside of Brassard or spend big on a more proven guy like Jarome Iginla. Some teams might prefer to add a rental, a guy in the last year of his contract in other words, primarily because the cap is set to go down significantly next season.
Others might look at the extra year of contractual control and appreciate the cost certainty it brings. That might prove more appealing than taking your chances in the UFA market to try to add a scoring forward. This was a primary motivation in Dallas’ decision to trade Michael Ryder to Montreal for Erik Cole. The Stars now know they have a former 30-goal scorer under contract for another season at a set price and won’t have to scour the free agent market and compete with other clubs to fill that hole.
The first team that I think of in that spot is the Pittsburgh Penguins. It seems as if they have constantly been searching for someone to play on Sidney Crosby’s wing and though Pascal Dupuis has been outstanding this year they might be interested in adding a skill guy like Brassard to an already dangerous offensive team.
Steve Zipay of Newsday recently wrote that the Rangers might be looking into Brassard as well. They’ve been on the prowl to replace the depth they sacrificed when they traded Dubinsky and Anisimov to Columbus for Rick Nash. Could they be a fit?
Another team looking to add a center reportedly is Vancouver. With Ryan Kesler out of the lineup again and Manny Malhotra out for the season, the Canucks could look to add a 2nd/3rd line pivot for the right price. Maybe Brassard could be the answer.
As with any trade the Jackets might consider, Columbus is most likely going to target young talent and/or draft choices in return. Again, let me reiterate that the Jackets aren’t bound to move Brassard for any reason so unless presented with an appealing offer they won’t trade the guy just to make some noise. Also, please note, I’m not trying to create any rumors here; aside from the Zipay column linking Brassard to the Rangers all of the other teams I mentioned have not been attached to Brassard to my knowledge. I’ve listed them here because I think they could be fits for the talented but underachieving center.
Realignment – The other day John Davidson spoke during the first intermission of a game with Fox Sports Ohio Columbus Blue Jackets play-by-play announcer Jeff Rimer. JD expressed the organization’s happiness with the recently approved realignment plan and for good reason. Being able to play more games closer to home in the Eastern Time Zone will be great for business. However I want to caution those who think that the move will immediately create intense rivalries with their new division-mates.
Geographical proximity alone doesn’t ensure two teams will become great rivals. Traditionally the best rivalries are born out of hatred for each other and that hatred develops only after lengthy and repeated playoff battles.
In my lifetime one of the best rivalries was the Detroit/Colorado rivalry of the late 1990’s through early 2000’s. Each club knew that their path to a Stanley Cup would almost assuredly run through the other.
In a span of seven seasons (1995-1995 through 2001-2002) Detroit and Colorado met in the postseason five times and combined to win five Stanley Cup championships during that time. There was plenty of bad blood (Remember Claude Lemieux’s vicious hit on Kris Draper and the retribution exacted by Darren McCarty early the next season) and hard-fought playoff battles that created a great rivalry despite the fact the two teams didn’t play in the same Division and weren’t particularly close to each other geographically. That’s how great rivals are made.
It’s hard to identify who qualifies as a bitter rival of the Jackets and a lot of that has to do with the fact they’ve qualified for the postseason just once in franchise history. That one foray into the playoffs ended quickly; a four game sweep at the hands of the Red Wings. If the Jackets had been able to follow that up with a couple more postseason berths and met Detroit again in the playoffs we may have seen a rivalry begin. However the Jackets have not been to the postseason since.
Just because there seems to be a natural rivalry with Pittsburgh because they are a few hours apart doesn’t mean one will automatically develop just because Columbus fans want it to. Pittsburgh probably doesn’t even consider Columbus a threat of any kind. It will take at least a couple of hard fought postseason battles between the two clubs before Pittsburgh changes their minds and a true rivalry is born.
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • 
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