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Derick Brassard

Ottawa Senators Put High Price On Derick Brassard

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The Ottawa Senators have deemed Derick Brassard available, but only for a very high price. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the team is looking for a first-round pick, top prospect and a third piece of some sort in exchange for the veteran center. Brassard is under contract for 2018-19, and does hold an eight team no-trade clause.

Senators’ GM Pierre Dorion was recently extended in Ottawa, after laying out his long-term plan for the franchise with owner Eugene Melnyk. While it’s unclear exactly what that entails, especially regarding the upcoming free agency of Erik Karlsson, making Brassard available indicates a willingness to retool the core of the organization. The team already traded Kyle Turris earlier this season, and now seem ready to move another veteran center. With Zack Smith and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also in the rumor mill, the center depth of the club could be devastated in the next few weeks.

Ottawa is in a fight for the first-overall pick this season, despite some better play of late. They currently sit in 29th place, and Brassard hasn’t been able to do anything to change the outcome most nights this year. Though he does have 14 goals and 30 points, he hasn’t been able to create much on the powerplay and is under 50% in the faceoff dot.

Still, for years Brassard has been a positive possession player. For any team looking to add a solid middle-six center who can drive play while also being responsible in his own end, the 30-year old could be a good fit. His $5MM cap hit is a little high for teams looking to use him in a third-line role, but the actual salary is much lower—a prorated amount of $2MM this season, and just $3.5MM total next.

Ottawa Begins To Prep For Trade Deadline

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With the Ottawa Senators on their bye-week, general manager Pierre Dorion is certainly not taking a vacation. The GM must start making decisions about the avenue his club will be taking in the coming weeks as the trade deadline begins to loom closer. After a lackluster start of the season, especially after the team acquired center Matt Duchene from Colorado, the team must decide whether they plan to blow the team up or just make a couple tweaks to their roster.

The Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch writes that blowing the team up is unlikely, but writes Dorion has spent quite a bit of time with team scouts to try to figure out what has gone wrong and what the best course of action should be for the franchise. The scribe suggests the team is unlikely to tear down the entire team, but writes that several players are likely heading out of Ottawa by the deadline. While Dorion remains realistic about his team’s playoff chances, the team remains just nine games out of a playoff spot and have had some recent success before the break, so it’s unlikely any deal would be made soon in case the team can turn its fortunes around.

Garrioch believes that forward Mike Hoffman is the most likely candidate to be traded as the interest in him is quite high. Despite his recent chemistry with Duchene, the scribe believes that a top-six winger should get a good return for the team, whether that be in prospects, picks or both. The 28-year-old has had three straight 25+ goal seasons and still has two years remaining after this one on his contract for a $5.19MM AAV. Hoffman currently has 11 goals and 29 points in 42 games. The money the team would save from moving Hoffman could be used to lock up Mark Stone, who the franchise has deemed untouchable along with defenseman Erik Karlsson. Veteran Derick Brassard is also not going anywhere.

Zack Smith’s contract and hard-nosed style has also drawn many calls from other teams, while Garrioch adds that defenseman Johnny Oduya and fourth-liner Alexandre Burrows are veterans and have received some attention as well. The 29-year-old Smith still has three years on his $3.25MM AAV deal, which isn’t too high of a price for a solid center. The 36-year-old Oduya has been solid on the team’s third pairing, but has more than 100 games of playoff experience, while the 36-year-old Burrows has 85 games of playoff experience as well. Garrioch does suggest that while youngster Jean-Gabriel Pageau is a trade candidate, it’s unlikely that he will be traded as he’s still a quality young player.

 

Atlantic Notes: Mete, Howard, Brassard, Raddysh

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The Montreal Canadiens announced that World Junior Championship gold medalist defenseman Victor Mete will return to the team on Friday, Jan. 12, according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon. After tomorrow’s game against Vancouver, the team will go on its five-day bye week and will return for their first practice on that Friday, with their next game to be played on Jan. 13 against the Boston Bruins.

Mete left the team to join Team Canada after playing against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 5, but many felt that when he left, he would eventually be returned to his junior team due to the fact that his playing time had begun to decrease over the previous weeks. However, it looks like he will return to the Canadiens’ lineup. Grant McCagg of Recrutes.ca adds that despite the fact that Mete will return to Montreal, that doesn’t suggest the team won’t still send him to his junior team. While the team has already burned the first year of his entry-level contract, the team has until his 40th game to decide whether they want to push back his first year of free agency. The 19-year-old has played in 27 games this year.

  • Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard will miss tomorrow night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a lower-body injury, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan. He was injured during the second period in Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers. The timing of the injury is both good and bad, writes the scribe, as Howard has been playing great hockey over the past couple of weeks as he has allowed just 10 goals over his past six starts. However, the team will go on their bye week after tomorrow, which should give him time to heal.
  • While commenting on trade rumors regarding the Ottawa Senators, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that one player who is generating a lot of interest is center Derick Brassard. However, Garrioch adds that there is no way the team will move the veteran who the team believes is part of their solution. Brassard is well known for his playoff scoring success. In 78 career playoff games, the 30-year-old has 22 goals and 33 assists.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Taylor Raddysh was the subject of a major OHL trade today in which the Erie Otters traded Raddysh and Detroit Red Wings defensive prospect Jordan Sambrook to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for 16-year-old prospect Hayden Fowler and nine draft picks, according to the Erie Otters. The Otters, who won the 2017 OHL champsionships with Raddysh and Sambrook, are struggling this year with a 12-20-6-1 record. The Greyhounds, however, have the best record in the league at 33-3-2-1 and should only get better now with those top additions. Raddysh, Tampa Bay’s second-round pick in 2016 had 15 goals and 29 assists in 30 games for Erie, but had 42 goals and 109 points a year ago in 58 games.

Snapshots: Brassard, Dahlen, Vilardi

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With the news that Ottawa is willing to listen on basically everyone except Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone, rumors have swirled around players like Derick Brassard for the last few days. One of the rumored destinations is Columbus, where Brassard played early in his career and who are in need of center help with both Brandon Dubinsky and Alexander Wennberg still out of the lineup. Brassard spoke to George Richards of the Columbus Post-Dispatch about the idea of going back to the Blue Jackets:

Let’s say it this way: I will play hockey anywhere. I have good memories but my job is to play hockey here. I’ll play anywhere. I wouldn’t refuse to go anywhere in the world or anywhere in the east. I have really good memories of playing in Columbus, we had a lot of fun.

Brassard played 309 games in Columbus to start his career, but really came into his own with the New York Rangers before heading to Ottawa. The center has one more year on his deal after this one, which carries a $5MM cap hit. He also has a partial no-trade clause, but it seems like that wouldn’t be a problem for the Senators if they decided to deal him.

  • The Vancouver Canucks went after prospect Jonathan Dahlen last trade deadline, and acquired him when they dealt Alex Burrows to the Ottawa Senators. Now other teams in Sweden are after him this year, as he continues his development. Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130 reports that several teams are making a “big push” to bring Dahlen in, likely to give him a chance in the SHL. The 20-year old forward has scored 27 points in 23 games for Timra in the Allsvenskan (Sweden’s second league) and looks ready to take the next step.
  • It’s trade season in the OHL, and Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider believes that top prospect Gabe Vilardi is about to be sent to the Kingston Frontenacs. Vilardi was part of the Memorial Cup-winning Windsor Spitfires team last season, but hasn’t yet made his season debut due to injury. With him close to a return, it seems like he’ll be joining the surging Frontenacs.

Senators Preparing To Move Players

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Following a convincing 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins last night – the same team they knocked out in the playoffs last season yet trail by 15 points in 2017-18 – the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that GM Pierre Dorion is ready to make some changes. It has been well reported to this point that the Senator’s struggles this season are real and, with the franchise’s future offering more questions than answers, there is a possibility of a fire sale and rebuild in the near future.

While earlier reports indicated that all-world defenseman Erik Karlsson may even be up for grabs, Garrioch says that Dorion has changed his tune, with the word being that Karlsson and young winger Mark Stone are the only untouchables on the Senators roster. Logic would dictate that promising rookies Thomas Chabot and Filip Chlapik are likely on that list as well, but the entire remainder of the roster could be up for grabs at the right price.

The shortlist offered up by Garrioch of the top trade bait includes winger Mike Hoffman, centers Derick Brassard and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and young defenseman Cody Ceci. While they might be harder to move, the team would surely like to get rid of Bobby Ryan and Dion Phaneuf as well. Of that group, the most intriguing name is definitely Hoffman, who by every metric is a top six scoring winger and would be of major interest to many teams across the league. While he may net the Senators a strong return, Hoffman is signed through 2020 at a reasonable $5.2MM and may be a player that Ottawa would regret moving on from.

Changes are coming to Ottawa. It could be a major trade tomorrow or it could be a series of smaller moves up until the Trade Deadline or perhaps even this off-season. However, Dorion is ready to make moves now and, with few pure sellers at this point in the season, the Senators will be a team to watch for the remainder of the 2017-18 campaign.

Atlantic Notes: Hoffman, Kane, Red Wings Rebuild

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While a lot of talk about the Ottawa Senators currently revolves around defenseman Erik Karlsson, who will become a free agent in 2019 and expects top dollar, the Hockey News’ Lyle Richardson writes that a deal isn’t likely to happen any time soon as general manager Pierre Dorion still has hope that he can eventually work out an extension when the two parties can begin negotiating next July.

However, Richardson instead suggests the team might focus on moving some other pieces this season, especially pointing a finger at center Mike Hoffman. The 28-year-old will have two years remaining at 5.19MM AAV after this season, which increases his value. While his numbers are a little down (he’s only scored once in his last nine games), Hoffman is still in line for a solid 20-goal season as he currently has nine goals and 13 assists in 30 games. On top of that, he has put up 20 goals in each of his last three seasons.

Besides that, players such as Cody Ceci and Jean-Gabriel Pageau are other trade options, according to Richardson, but considering they are 23 and 25, respectively, the team may want to keep their youth if the goal is to rebuild the team. Bobby Ryan, Dion Phaneuf and Derick Brassard are also trade possibilities, but even less likely as all three have modified no-trade clauses and because of their high salaries, are unlikely to be going anywhere.

  • In the same article, Richardson writes the Buffalo Sabres are not likely to trade forward Evander Kane before the upcoming holiday trade freeze (Dec. 19 to 26). It’s more likely the team will make a move after that as they are still trying to raise his pricetag. The 26-year-old looks to be having a career year as he already has 31 points this season in 33 contests, nearly a point a game, along with 14 goals. Richardson writes that several teams are likely to bid on Kane, including the San Jose Sharks, the St. Louis Blues, the Anaheim Ducks and the Calgary Flames, although few of them are good fits.
  • Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) compares the Toronto Maple Leafs roster and to the rebuilding plan of the Detroit Red Wings, pointing out where Detroit stands when it comes to building a franchise like the Maple Leafs. Custance writes that the obvious missing piece on the Red Wings is the lack of a superstar like Auston Matthews, but there some of the other pieces are present on the Red Wings roster. He compares Mitch Marner to that of Anthony Mantha, William Nylander to that of Dylan Larkin and Nazem Kadri to that of prospect Michael Rasussen and keeps going. Among many conclusions, Custance points out the lack of a superstar as well as the team’s need to grab a franchise-changing defenseman and goaltender, but feels Detroit might not be that far away if luck rolls their way.

The Worst Case Scenario In Ottawa

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While the result is not yet final, the Ottawa Senators are in the midst tonight of what will likely end as a big loss to the Buffalo Sabres, the only team in the Eastern Conference with a worse record (for now). The team is in free fall, losing four straight games and eleven of their past twelve, not including tonight’s result. At 9-12-7, the Senators hold the third worst record in the NHL and rumors are swirling that no one on the roster is safe.

Back on November 5th, things seemed to be trending upward for Ottawa as GM Pierre Dorion was finally able to swing a trade to bring in coveted center Matt Duchene. In the process, the Senators gave up another legitimate top six center in Kyle Turris, goalie Andrew Hammond, 2016 first-rounder Shane Bowers, a 2019 third-round pick and a conditional 2018 first-round pick. Duchene has just four points and a -11 rating in 14 games with Ottawa so far and it’s already safe to say that the trade hasn’t worked out as planned.

So what’s next? With the Senators struggling, the conditional first-round pick sent to the Avalanche becomes very interesting. The 2018 pick is “top-ten protected”, meaning – as is likely – if Ottawa finished in the bottom third of the league, they retain their first round pick. Colorado would then get the Senators’ 2019 first-rounder. However, there is significant risk associated with that scenario. While the 2017-18 Sens have been underwhelming, there is enough talent on the roster to avoid falling apart entirely. The 2018-19 Senators though are another story. Ottawa just recently requested no-trade lists from ten key players and a fire sale could begin this season. The result could be an even worse squad next season and an even better pick heading to Colorado, perhaps even a top pick like center Jack Hughes or defenseman Bowen Byram.

So what is the worst case scenario in Ottawa? The team continues to struggle this year and is even worse next season, missing out on a potential franchise-altering prospect. After two years of failure, the team loses, via trade or free agency, Duchene, Erik Karlsson, Derick Brassard, and more. It may seem like a stretch, but it is in fact very possible. These are dark days in Ottawa, but the truth is that this could just be the beginning.

Erik Karlsson On The Trade Block?

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Erik Karlsson’s recent comments combined with the Ottawa Senators’ ongoing struggles has created a rumor firestorm that isn’t likely to die down any time soon. The Senators are 1-8-1 in their last ten games and are sinking further and further out of playoff contention this season. Owner Eugene Melnyk is unsurprisingly sensitive right now and Karlsson stating that he would not take a discount to re-sign in Ottawa when his contract expires after next season has rubbed Melnyk the wrong way, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Nick Kypreos.

That does not mean that Karlsson is being traded right away or even that the Senators plan to trade him at all. However, steps are being taken to allow a potential Karlsson trade to happen. Sportsnet reports that the Senators have asked all of their players with modified no-trade clauses  – Karlsson, Bobby Ryan, Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard, Zack Smith, Alexandre Burrows, Nate Thompson, Clarke MacArthur, Dion Phaneuf, and Johnny Oduya – to submit their lists of team they would or would not be traded to, per the terms of each individual clause. For Karlsson, he has a a ten-team no-trade list that will now be on record for the Senators and GM Pierre Dorion, should they choose to make a move.

In the opinion of Kypreos, a move should be made and it should be made soon. Karlsson’s market value, the team’s poor performance, and the Senator’s relatively low revenue and unwillingness to spend to the salary cap ceiling all make a Karlsson extension extremely unlikely. Rather than wait until next season for Karlsson to become just a rental player, Kypreos believes that a trade should be made by this summer and the earlier the better. It is hard to imagine Ottawa getting a fair return for arguably the best defenseman in the NHL, but they will surely get a better deal trading Karlsson this season instead of next.

Yet, the public relations train for the Senators will keep rolling. No one will make it known that Karlsson is trade bait until an actual deal is finalized. The team has enough issues that they don’t need their best player disgruntled and the locker room in disarray. Karlsson being traded is a real possibility, but you won’t hear it from Melnyk or anyone else in Ottawa any time soon.

Ottawa Senators Plummet While Trade Speculation Heats Up

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The Ottawa Senators were within a goal of the Stanley Cup Final last season. On the backs of heroic performances by Erik Karlsson and Craig Anderson, a trapping, defensive team pushed the Pittsburgh Penguins to the brink of elimination before bowing out in double overtime of game seven. That had fans of the team excited about this season, and pushing for GM Pierre Dorion to add to a team that was close to the Stanley Cup.

As former NHL executive Frank Provenzano notes for The Athletic though, thinking your team is close to winning it all after one unexpected playoff run can be dangerous. Provenzano is among the first (of what is sure to be many) to suggest what had previously been unthinkable: perhaps it’s time to consider trading Karlsson.

Erik KarlssonJust a few weeks ago the Senators went out and added Matt Duchene, bringing in a former Olympian who was expected to kick-start their offense. The fact that he had just a year and a half left on his deal (coincidentally the same length as Karlsson) didn’t matter, as they were close enough that he could push them over the edge right away. They needed to move out Kyle Turris (and several other pieces) to do so, but he seemed unlikely to re-sign with the team after this season when he became an unrestricted free agent. The problem there is, as Craig Button screamed into the radio airwaves yesterday on TSN 1050, “they traded a better player for a lesser player.” Button believes Turris is better than Duchene right now, and the early returns would back him up.

Turris has 12 points in 13 games for the Nashville Predators since the deal, while Duchene has just two. The Senators meanwhile have gone 3-8-1 with Duchene in the lineup, including losing seven of their last eight in regulation. That has seen them tumble down in the standings, even as they play in arguably the weakest division in the NHL. As of Thursday, they find themselves ahead of only Buffalo in the Atlantic Division and tied with the Florida Panthers with 24 points. Not good enough for a team that expected to compete.

While the NHL season is far from over, and a rebound from the team is more than just possible, it may be time to start thinking about drastic changes to their core group. As noted above, Karlsson is only signed until the summer of 2019 and has made it clear that he’ll cost a boatload on the open market. Derick Brassard and Mike Hoffman are signed for one and two years respectively after this season, and are both no longer young players with years of improvement ahead of them. Mark Stone, the team’s best forward will hit restricted free agency this summer and should expect a big deal, but it’s not clear how long-term he’ll want to go with the club. Stone will turn 26 before the summer hits, and could get to unrestricted free agency himself with just a one-year deal.

It’s not over for the Senators just yet, but Provenzano’s article won’t be the first written about the possibility of a Karlsson trade. After July 1st hits, and an extension is possible, every passing day will fuel speculation on whether the team should move him before he hits the open market. As one of the most valuable players in the league, it’s not clear who would even have the guts to give up the kind of package Ottawa would need in return. But it’s an interesting possibility if the season continues to progress as it has so far for the Senators.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ottawa Cuts Suggest Karlsson, Brassard Ready To Play

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With three more cuts today, the Ottawa Senators have pared their roster down to 23 players and look ready to begin the season. The Senators put winger Max McCormick on waivers with the intention of sending him to Belleville of the AHL. The team also sent down defensemen Thomas Chabot and Ben Harpur. Those moves also suggest that two of their players, Erik Karlsson and Derick Brassard, might be closer to ready than many anticipated, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.

According to Garrioch, both Karlsson and Brassard both have a chance to be ready for Thursday’s season opener against the Capitals. Karlsson, coming off foot surgery this offseason, hasn’t been cleared for physical contact yet, but the most recent roster moves suggest that he must be close as he is one of the seven defensemen on the roster. Karlsson, a two-time James Norris Memorial Trophy winner which goes to the top defensive player, has been the key to the Senators’ success including their playoff run last year. The defenseman finished the year with 17 goals and 54 assists for 71 points. Brassard underwent labrum surgery in June, which required a four to five months of recovery. It’s been four, but talk is that he is also close to returning for Ottawa. The 30-year-old center had a bit of a down year, putting up 14 goals and 39 points, but had a 27-goal season the year before.

The team did cut two of their young, future defensemen in Chabot and Harpur. Chabot, the team’s first-round pick from 2015, was considered a likely candidate to make the team, but a poor performance in the team’s final preseason game, a 9-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, ended his run to make the team. He finished the game with a -5 plus/minus rating. Harpur, a fourth-round pick in 2013, has worked his way up the minor league system. He’s played 11 games for the Senators, but also contributed in nine playoff games for the team last season.

The scribe writes that on offense, the move to send McCormick down means that center Logan Brown, their 2016 first-round pick, and Alex Formenton, their second-round pick this year, both made the team.

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