SUNRISE, Fla. -- He might be the biggest catch to date at the NHL trade deadline and he could be the missing piece in what the Penguins hope will be a third straight parade down the Boulevard of the Allies, but Derick Brassard says he's not feeling any pressure.
Why's that?
"I've been traded before," Brassard explained on a conference call Saturday afternoon.
Actually, he's been dealt three times before. He was traded by the Blue Jackets, the team that drafted him sixth overall in 2006, he was traded by the Rangers after helping New York to a Cup Final in 2014, and on Friday he was dealt by the Senators after taking them to within a Chris Kunitz double-overtime goal of reaching the Cup Final just last spring.
But this trade is a little different.
Not just because he was acquired in a complex blockbuster three-team trade that saw the Penguins send, most notably, Ian Cole to Ottawa and Ryan Reaves to Vegas.
He says it's because he's going to play for the two-time Stanley Cup champions who will give him his best chance at a ring in his 11-year career. For a guy from Hull, Quebec, it's what you dream about.
"They know what it takes to win," Brassard said. "I know they lost a key player, or two key players, in the middle with (Nick) Bonino and Matt Cullen, but I don't feel that pressure. I'm just going to come in and play my game. They have a real solid core on that team. Basically, I'm going to come in and help them win some games, take it one game at a time, not put pressure on anyone. I'm not sure what's going to happen but I expect to be a big part of this team coming up."
He added, "I'm 30 years old now, to have a chance to win it, being on a really good team, I'm just going to come in and play my game, not try to be someone else. It's kind of hard to describe my feelings right now to be joining the team and having a chance to win it all."
When Brassard will don the black and gold isn't known just yet. Brassard is not in South Florida and will not play in tonight's game against the Panthers. He said he's hoping to get into Pittsburgh on Tuesday but would seem doubtful to play in that night's game against the Devils.
Brassard is certainly familiar with the team and the city. He's faced the Penguins each of the last four postseasons, three times with the Rangers and last year with Ottawa.
"I don't think it's going to get weird," he said. "I'm just really, really excited. The playoffs are another level. It's a matter of playing the passion of the game, the emotion. I felt like, especially in New York, it pushed me to push myself personally and try to be the best player I can be. It's the best time of the year. You have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. That's the ultimate prize."
Brassard will likely be the Penguins' third line center, a spot currently occupied by Riley Sheahan, with wingers Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel. Both Kessel and Guentzel are natural goal-scorers and Brassard's two-way game should complement their skill sets. He says he's very familiar with Kessel going back to when they faced each other in the under-18 championships.
"I don't know what the coach is going to decide, but I think if we all three end up together, we could be dangerous," he said.
The trade was a little different in other ways, too, of course. Brassard heard from the Senators' general manager, Pierre Dorion, early in the afternoon that he'd been sent to Pittsburgh, then had to wait like the rest of us well into the evening to see if that was, in fact, the case. Then, he heard from Jim Rutherford.
"All day after, I was really unsure what was going to happen," Brassard said. "Even my agent didn't know what was going to happen. Finally, I got a call from Jim around 9:30 p.m. that everything was done."
As for when he might join the Penguins: "I'm not sure when I'll get in town. I might miss a few games. They're trying to get me in town for Tuesday."
There was no additional word from the team on that subject, including from Mike Sullivan after the game Saturday night. The Penguins have a travel day Sunday, a practice Monday in Cranberry Township, then a game Tuesday night against the Devils at PPG Paints Arena.
