CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- One of the first calls Derick Brassard made after learning of his trade was to Carl Hagelin, waking up the Penguins' winger from his usual pregame nap.
That was early Friday afternoon, or some seven hours before the complex three-team blockbuster trade involving the Senators, Penguins and Golden Knights was finally consummated. But even during those few anxious moments, Hagelin could sense his former Rangers teammate's excitement.
When you're coming to a team that has won consecutive Stanley Cup championships and has a legitimate shot at a third, no sales pitch on the city or the team is required.
"He’s excited to be here, especially playoff hockey," Hagelin said. "You know, when he plays inspired hockey, when he’s excited, he’s at his best. It’s good to have him."
Having faced them in each of the past four springs, Brassard is well aware of the Penguins and they of him. Clearly, he must have left an impression on Jim Rutherford and the Penguins hierarchy. In 24 career playoff games against the Penguins, he has nine goals and six assists, but each one seemed to have come at an opportune moment.
That's just what Brassard does in the spring. There's no analytic that can quantify the clutch gene, but it's in his DNA. In his 11-year career, Brassard produces at 0.60 points per game in the regular season, but that number jumps to 0.71 in the postseason. Since the 2013 playoffs, Brassard has 55 points, 10th among all players and third in the Eastern Conference, and check out the company he's keeping:
Over that span, Brassard's postseason points-per-game average ranks a hair below Conn Smythe winner Justin Williams (0.72) and just ahead of future Hall of Famer Marian Hossa (0.69). His four playoff game-winning goals since 2013 are tied with Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel and are one more than Evgeni Malkin. That's extraordinary for a player who has topped 20 goals in the regular season just once, 2015-16 with the Rangers.
Though he says he's under no pressure with the Penguins, playing more of a complementary role behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, there is most definitely pressure on his new team to win a third straight Cup. Brassard is seen as the missing piece to this year's team. After all, it's why Rutherford was willing to pay a big price for his services.
Brassard's history suggests he'll perform his best on the bigger stage. He said on Saturday he felt he played his best hockey with the Rangers in the bright lights of Broadway.
"Obviously, the playoffs are another level," he said. "It's just a matter of putting the passion of the game, the emotion ... I just feel in New York, I think it really pushed myself personally to be the best player that I can be.
"It's one of those times of year, you have a chance to win a Stanley Cup. That's the ultimate prize. I'm 30 years old now, and I'm going to have a chance to win it on a really good team. I'm just going to play my game and not be someone else. Just play the game that I had here and the same game I was playing in New York, and we'll see what's going to happen."
With Crosby and Malkin ahead of him on the depth chart, Brassard will most likely slot in as the third-line center. Though he's been a top-six forward most of his career, his skill set aligns perfectly for what the Penguins are looking for, according to Crosby:
Mike Sullivan, who coached Brassard in New York as an assistant on John Tortorella's staff, vouched for Brassard's character -- "He’s a terrific kid, a real good person." -- but also his game.
"He distributes the puck really well," Sullivan said. "He sees the ice. He’s got real good offensive instincts. Regardless of who we play him with, he’s going to bring an element to the line. He’s good on faceoffs, but he’s got real good offensive instincts. He’s been a top two center-iceman in the league for a long time. I know he’s going to make our team better. I think he can play the style of play that we're looking to play. I think he’s going to fit right in."
The addition of Brassard, who had been logging 18:20 of ice time a night in Ottawa, should allow Sullivan to roll four lines fairly evenly, reducing the wear and tear on Crosby and Malkin.
Though he's never been an All-Star, never received a vote for the Selke -- mostly because he doesn't kill penalties -- it would would be a disservice to Brassard and his game to think of him merely as a playoff performer. He also has a very tangible 420 points in 702 career games (20 points in 23 career games against the Penguins, if you were wondering).
In breaking down the tape from his final game with the Senators, a 4-3 loss to Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay last Thursday, you see what Sullivan was speaking of in his assessment. Brassard does everything well, but nothing exceedingly so. He skates well, and with good speed, a must with Sullivan, and he's got ample skill.
Check out the last goal Brassard (No. 19) scored with Ottawa:
Above, Feb. 22 against the Lightning, you see he possesses a surprisingly heavy slap shot he uses to pick his corner, dropping to one knee for leverage, to beat Louis Domingue. It was the fourth power play goal for Brassard, who will likely see time on the second unit in Pittsburgh. He scored a similar goal from the same area against Matt Murray, after attacking the triangle on Justin Schultz, during his last trip to PPG Paints Arena on Feb. 13:
Brassard's 18 goals this season were second on a really bad Senators team and have him on pace to have his second-best statistical season, but that would rank fifth among the Penguins.
He plays a good puck possession game as his 50.21 Corsi For percentage at even strength, and his 2.83 shots per game, can attest. Though no goal results from this play in the Feb. 22 game against the Lightning, here you see Brassard reads the play well along the half wall, and with his strong hockey IQ and skating and stickhandling, almost singlehandedly creates a chance for Johnny Oduya:
Brassard has won 49.6 percent of his faceoffs this season, a decent number, but that would be an area for improvement. With Ottawa he was taking 53.5 percent of his draws in the offensive zone. That's just not likely to happen with Crosby and Malkin ahead of him. For comparison, Riley Sheahan -- who could be moving back to the fourth line -- was taking 33.1 percent offensive zone starts.
But you also see Brassard is willing to take a hit to make a play. Here in the Feb. 22 game against Tampa, he holds the puck long enough to draw two defenders, Alex Killorn and Braydon Coburn, to him at the half wall. Wisely, he works the puck along the boards, cycling a pass to Mark Stone, who set up this backdoor pass to Ryan Dzingel for a goal:
At 6-1 and 206 pounds, Brassard's not a big hitter and hasn't fought in six years. He just plays the game, albeit with an edge. He's been a bit of a late bloomer after suffering shoulder injuries earlier in his career but has proven durable since, playing no fewer than 80 games each of the past four seasons.
He's even been willing to play in pain. During last year's playoff run, leading the Senators to within a goal of the Cup final, he says he was severely limited by a balky shoulder that required another off-season procedure.
"Team toughness" is a vague term bandied about all the time in the postseason, ranking right up there with "secondary scoring" and "puck luck" in terms of importance.
Though the Penguins parted ways with Ian Cole and Ryan Reaves, in part to land Brassard, they are now far more imposing. Brassard was a very good No.2 center iceman but has the potential to be an outstanding No. 3 and could make the Penguins historically great this spring.
"He’s a guy that plays his best hockey this time of year," said Patric Hornqvist.
