Chuck Fletcher and the Philadelphia Flyers just made another really solid depth move by signing left handed center Derick Brassard. Standing 6’1″ and weighing in at 202 Lbs, Brassard comes in as one of those players who can not only wear out another teams opposing center, but penalty kill and forecheck very effectively. This move is certainly not the last one with a lot of depth pieces still available, but it makes a couple of moves possible for this lineup.
When I projected the lineup for next season, I believed Chuck Fletcher was done making moves overall, but this shows that he is ready to go all in. This is another move that not only has an Alain Vigneault connection, but a Kevin Hayes one as well. This move makes me wonder if Chuck will go get another winger to sure up the bottom six or if he will trust Wade Allison or Nicolas Aube–Kubel.
Watching Brassard for years in the Metropolitan Division, he was always the type of player to be very annoying. Brassard would always be in the right spot and can make plays happen. He is a guy that can be thrown in anywhere in the lineup and has played on many different teams with a lot of different guys and personalities, but also brings a Stanley Cup ring with him as well. Brassard has been there multiple times and brings a ton of experience to the locker room. He is going to be another voice in that leadership group that was revamped.
Brassard has never been listed as a goal scorer, but he is a smart player. Last season, playing for the Arizona Coyotes, he scored eight goals and recorded 12 assists. Brassard also had a -10 but we can not fault him for playing on a bad Coyotes team. He also won 52.4% of his faceoffs taken while also dishing out 80 hits. He also had 19 giveaways but had 17 takeaways as well.
Brassard is not coming here to make an impact on the scoring side of the puck, but to help clean up mistakes in the defensive end. He is going to make a big impact being an every night player. Depending on if Morgan Frost makes the roster now, he may settle in at that third line center position or even the fourth line depending on if Scott Laughton gets moved to wing.
Overall, this is another move that improves the Flyers and gives them another veteran to help the young guys push forward and continue to improve on their game.