Derick Brassard was the Flyers most underrated pickup this offseason

The offseason brings a lot of different emotions and feelings for fans of different teams. For the Flyers fans of last season, it was relief, grief, depression and disappointment. This team had gone from being a cup contender to bottom of the barrel.

Chuck Fletcher felt the pain of the fans and changed the nature of the team. In came players such as Ryan Ellis, Martin Jones, Cam Atkinson, Nate Thompson, Keith Yandle and at the last second, Derick Brassard.

Brassard was the player I became most excited for in the offseason. Yes, the Flyers had gotten a number one defenseman in Ryan Ellis and yes, they got a true goal scorer in Cam Atkinson. But what about the depth down the middle? Morgan Frost was a question mark, Nolan Patrick was traded, Connor Bunnaman proved last season he can not keep up with the NHL just yet.

Tanner Laczynski was hurt, Jackson Cates might not be ready to play consistent minutes, Kevin Hayes just had surgery and to top it all off, the Flyers brought in an aging center in Nate Thompson.

At that point before they signed Brassard at the vet minimum, the center depth had Sean Couturier, Scott Laughton, Frost, Hayes, Thompson and Cates. These were the middlemen going into the season until Chuck Fletcher made a surprise signing and brought Brassard in.

I did not know where he was going to line up in this roster. After giving it some thought, it seemed he would be a fourth line center with Hayes being the second and Frost being the third. Boy was I wrong.

I always loved watching players like Connor Sheary and Brassard. I always wanted players like those on the Flyers. Guys who you bring onto your hockey team that help you win games. They are usually role players who can do everything from killing penalties to late game defensive minutes and are willing to put their bodies on the line. I kept thinking while watch Brassard play for the Penguins, Blue Jackets and Islanders, where can we get someone like him?

Fast forward and here he is and he has been nothing short of incredible for the Flyers. He won the second line center position and slotted in between Cam Atkinson and Joel Farabee. They have been the best line on this team currently and they have been coined the FAB line. Nothing short of deserving of that name is this trio either. They have played really great hockey and have piled up the points as well.

Starting with Farabee, Joel has netted three goals and recorded three assists in five games. Cam Atkinson has six goals and one assist. Derick Brassard has one goal and five assists. These three players are among the top five on the team in points right now and their play shows why.

Normal stats don’t tell the whole story. Brassard’s impact goes way beyond goals and assists. When on the ice, and this was the stat that blew my mind, Jones and Hart have given up only one goal. He also has a Corsi of 45.35% which is not bad considering he penalty kills as well.

In close games as well, it seems like Alain Vigneault really leans on this line defensively to win faceoffs. Brassard has won close to 50% of his faceoffs, taking most in the neutral zone, followed by defensive zone. Having a player that you can trust to win a big draw is huge. Outside of Couturier and Hayes, the Flyers didn’t have a center they could trust in late game situations that were close or tied.

A player currently living on a vet minimum contract should not be playing this good for a team. Usually they are fourth liners and are just making whatever they can before they leave the league, but this 34-year-old has other plans. Brassard chose to come to Philadelphia to help this team chase the cup and I think he is doing just that.

Overall, he has been the most underrated and clearly under the radar pickup until this moment. If Brassard and his linemates keep playing their style of hockey, there is not telling what this team is going to be capable of or what they will ultimately do going into the postseason. My hat is off to Chuck Fletcher for the amazing moves he made.