Last summer, the New York Islanders signed Derick Brassard with hope that he could become the team’s third-line center. He struggled in that role and it became clear he couldn’t drive a line, even if just for the purpose of secondary scoring.
That said, Brassard was reasonably effective when playing on the wing in the top-six and considering New York’s lack of depth on the wing, it could be worthwhile to re-sign him. With Jean-Gabriel Pageau as the team’s third-line center and Kieffer Bellows as a potential fit on the left side, Brassard could potentially help out on the right wing.
If he was brought back, the Islanders’ top-nine would probably look like this:
Lee - Barzal - Eberle
Beauvillier - Nelson - Bailey
Bellows - Pageau - Brassard
Given that Brassard was decent when playing in the top-six, it would also give the Islanders the opportunity to mix up the lines and put Josh Bailey on the third line with Bellows and Pageau instead.
Brassard scored 10 goals and 32 points in 66 games this year (a pace of about 12 goals and 40 points per 82 games), which is great production for the price the Islanders were paying. He certainly wasn’t consistent but he was at least able to add secondary scoring when he had players to work with.
Given the Islanders’ cap crunch, he could be brought back as a depth piece next season, however, it’ll all come down to what his asking price is. New York really can’t afford to give him much of a raise at all and if his number goes much over $2 million, the Islanders may need to walk away. He may also ask for more than a one-year deal, which wouldn’t be ideal, considering Oliver Wahlstrom will likely be ready to make the jump to the NHL for the 2021-22 season and would take a spot on the right-side in the top-nine.
Brassard’s price was so low last year because he was coming off such a poor end to the 2018-19 season, where he scored just four points in his final 20 games with Colorado. However, given that the cap isn’t likely to rise, the Islanders may have a chance of getting him back on a one-year deal at a similar price because many teams won’t really have the room to add.
The fact is, there aren’t many players the Islanders could go after in free agency that would come so cheap and actually be somewhat effective. There’s also nobody in the Islanders’ system (other than Bellows, who will likely already be on the left side) that could really play in the top-nine next year.
Brassard wasn’t perfect by any means but he did give New York secondary scoring that they wouldn’t have had otherwise. If the price is right and the Islanders are able to get him back for cheap, he’d be a good piece to bring back.
Here's today's poll question (results and discussion will be posted tomorrow):
If the Islanders can bring Derick Brassard back on another cheap one-year deal, should they do it?
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