Edmonton Oilers acquire Derick Brassard from the Flyers in exchange for a 2023 fourth round pick. Flyers retain 50% ($412,500) of Brassard’s cap hit.
Now this is more like it.
This is a much better trade. Poaching veterans from a rebuilding team for playoff rental depth is classic Holland. We don’t have a fourth rounder this year because it was dealt away to New Jersey last deadline for renting Dmitry Kulikov, hence the 2023 pick.
Brassard had been playing second line center for the rebuilding Flyers this year, so he’s coming to a much better team to play a reduced role, slated for fourth line center.
As you would expect the 34 year old Brassard is much more a natural bottom six forward as opposed to a top six forward. He put up six goals and 16 points in 31 games played for the Flyers this year, which as a top six forwards is….meh.
The Flyers are just running out the clock on the season so they don’t really need Brassard long term.
If I had to guess I’d hope that Brassard will come here and put up anywhere between 5-15 points in the remainder of the season and using his 117 games of playoff experience to give the bottom six an infusion of experience, energy, and depth. He’ll probably platoon with Ryan Mcleod and Nuge (who’s expected back from injury at the time of this writing by next week) for the bottom six center positions. He’s even been to a Stanley Cup final, in 2014 with the Rangers.
The Edmonton Oilers could use that experience in their lineup.