The Avalanche acquired forward Derick Brassard from Florida – their opponent at the Pepsi Center – for a third-round draft pick in 2020 before the NHL trade deadline expired Monday.
The Avalanche will receive a sixth-round pick in 2020 if Brassard doesn’t re-sign with them. He will be an unrestricted free agent July 1. He’s in the final year of a five-year, $25 million contract.
Brassard, wearing jersey No. 18, played left wing with center Tyson Jost and right wing Matt Calvert against his former team.
“He’s got a lot of experience, he’s a versatile player, he’s got skill, is a real smart two-way player,… Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said shortly before the opening faceoff. “He can play center, left wing, penalty kill, power play, he can go up and down the lineup. There’s a lot of options with him.
“We’re really excited to have him on board. We really think he’s going to help with his experience with some of our younger kids. We can put him anywhere.…
#Avs lineup pic.twitter.com/ByfIYtm3tY
— Rick Sadowski (@RickS7) February 26, 2019
The Avalanche announced before the game that forward Matt Nieto will miss 6-8 weeks with a lower-body injury, but Sakic said this news wasn’t a factor in dealing for Brassard.
Also, the Avalanche reassigned forwards Andrew Agozzino and A.J. Greer to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.
“I mean, the first game, you have to keep everything simple,… Brassard said two hours before the opening faceoff. “I'm trying to get ready right now, have to see the doctors, meet with the new coaches and the system and the way we want to play. So, there's a lot of things going on in my head, but I'm just going to try to go out there and have fun. Try to keep it simple.…
Brassard, 31, has 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in 50 games this season, one goal and three assists in 10 games with Florida since his Feb. 1 trade from Pittsburgh.
“The last couple of days I've been thinking about (the NHL trade deadline),… he said. “Just kind of excited to see where I'm going to end up. I mean, I didn't really have to go far this morning. When the trade was official, I went from one room to the other. I met some of the guys that were still here. I didn't have much sleep last night and today. I'm really excited to be here and trying to do my best to help this team. We're in a tight playoff push right now and I feel like I can help this team.
“I knew I was going to get moved from Pittsburgh, but I thought I'd get moved to somewhere to a playoff team. I guess I ended up in Florida. As soon as I got traded, I heard I was going to go at the deadline.
“It's not something that shocked me this morning. I knew I was going to leave. Just before we got on this road trip, I knew Colorado was talking to my agent and stuff. I knew it might've happened. I'm just really excited not to have to go anywhere with my suitcase and stuff. That's good.…
The Avalanche took a four-game winning streak into the game and were one point behind Minnesota for the second wild card playoff position in the Western Conference, two points behind Dallas for the first wild card.
“A few weeks ago, we were struggling, but the last 10 games against some really good teams in tough buildings our guys have found their legs and are playing really well as a team and our goaltending’s been excellent,… Sakic said. “They deserve the chance for us to keep this thing going and try and make the playoffs.
“We just decided we want to give this team a shot in the arm. We’d like to make the playoffs and this group deserves a chance for a little boost to try and help us get there.…
Columbus’ first-round pick (No. 6) in 2006, Brassard has 447 points (172 goals, 275 assists) in 766 career games with the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh and Florida.
A 6-foot-1, 202-pound center, he has 59 points (23 goals, 36 assists) in 90 career playoff games.
Brassard’s best seasons came with the Rangers.
He had 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists) in 80 games in 2014-15 with 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in 19 playoff games. He had 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) in 80 games in 2015-16.