The New York Islanders are reportedly unlikely to re-sign forward Derick Brassard, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple.
Doesn't sound like Derick Brassard will be returning to the #Isles. Not sure what his options are at this point, but no reunion on the Island. Possibly leaves room for #Isles to bring in a top-nine winger among remaining UFAs or a spot for a prospect with camp starting Sunday.
The forward is instead working on a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes, according to Guillaume Latendresse.
Brassard, who’s now 33 years old, scored 10 goals and 32 points in 66 games with the Islanders last season, a pace of 12 goals and 40 points per 82 games. He played in different roles throughout the Islanders lineup last season, from playing on the wing in the top-six to centre in the bottom-six. He was originally slotted in as the team’s third-line center but never really worked out in that spot.
While losing Brassard won’t provide any significant impact for the Islanders, I do think it’s too bad that he wasn’t brought back. As inconsistent as he could be, he worked fairly well on the wing, when he had players to play with. Considering his age and the market right now, it’s highly unlikely that he’s going to get a raise with the Coyotes, meaning the Islanders could have brought him back on a cheap deal once again.
At this point, pretty much all potential middle-six forwards who entered free agency have inked a deal, meaning the Islanders probably won’t be bringing anyone in to replace him in the top-nine. As a result, there’s a good chance we could see a third line featuring Kieffer Bellows and Leo Komarov, centered by Jean-Gabriel Pageau. While I think Komarov can still be effective in some capacity, I really don’t like the idea of him back in the top-nine.
Considering the Islanders were reportedly in on Mike Hoffman, perhaps there’s a plan here and we see a forward added after all. However, if it’s as simple as not bringing back Brassard and then not finding anyone to replace him in the lineup, I think it’s a shame that the Islanders didn’t take the opportunity to re-sign him.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Are you disappointed that Derick Brassard won't be re-signing with the Islanders?
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