Flyers add more experience by signing Derick Brassard

Derick Brassard

Rent, don’t buy.

That should probably be the motto for NHL veteran forward Derick Brassard, who is just about to play for his ninth – count ‘em, ninth – team.

That would be the Flyers, who on Wednesday signed the 33-year-old to a one-year contract worth $825,000.

Brassard’s past teams include Ottawa, Colorado, Arizona, Florida, Columbus, Pittsburgh, the Islanders and the Rangers, where he played three seasons under current Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault.

Brassard has played 905 NHL games over a 14-season career. Last year he played for Arizona, where he scored eight goals and added 12 assists for 20 points in 53 games.

A 6-foot-1, 202-pound native of Hull, Quebec, Brassard also brings 117 games of playoff experience to the Flyers after playing for teams that won at least one playoff round in seven of his last nine seasons, including eight appearances in Game 7 of a playoff series over that time.

Those 117 postseason points are the most for anyone on this year’s Flyers roster.

Brassard spent parts of four seasons with the Rangers, who acquired him from Columbus in a six-player trade on April 3, 2013, and helped the Rangers reach the postseason in all four of those years.

The Blueshirts moved past the second round in three of those seasons, including an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 and a return to the Eastern Conference Final in 2015.

Brassard’s time with the Rangers included the aforementioned three seasons playing for Vigneault, as well as time spent playing with Flyers forward Kevin Hayes and defenseman Keith Yandle.

From the Rangers, Brassard was traded to Ottawa where he helped the Senators reach the 2017 Eastern Conference Final, his third appearance in the third round over a four-year span. He was then acquired by Pittsburgh in a trade-deadline deal in 2018 and helped the Penguins through to the second round of the playoffs that year.

Brassard started the 2018-19 season with Pittsburgh before being traded to Florida on February 1. He was then traded to Colorado two weeks later in another trade-deadline deal and again reached the second round of the playoffs. Brassard signed with the New York Islanders in the offseason and after the 2019-20 COVID stoppage, he helped the Islanders reach the 2020 Eastern Conference Final.

Prior to joining the Rangers, Brassard spent parts of six seasons with the Blue Jackets, who drafted him in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut with Columbus on Jan. 11, 2008 and went on to appear in 309 games for the club, including two seasons playing with Flyers forward Cam Atkinson.

Over the course of his career, Brassard has 194 goals and 309 assists for 503 points, along with 419 penalty minutes. He has also scored 25 goals and added 43 assists for 68 points in his 117 playoff games.

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About Wayne Fish 2583 Articles
Wayne Fish has been covering the Flyers since 1976, a stint which includes 18 Stanley Cup Finals, four Winter Olympics and numerous other international events.

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