Right before the deadline hit, the Flyers made one last move. Derick Brassard, who had been acquired in the off-season as a depth move, has been traded to the Edmonton Oilers. The return is a fourth round pick in 2023.
With these moves, Chuck Fletcher has stocked up on picks for a draft that is expected to be very deep. There’s a good chance that the Flyers will not have all of this picks come that draft, though. As of right now, they have eight picks in the 2023 Draft, three of those in the third round.
Can report the return for Brassard is a 4th round pick in 2023.
— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) March 21, 2022
It was expected for Brassard to be moved to a team looking for more depth. The Flyers have clearly shifted their focus to next season as they sold off a few of their pending free agents. That began this weekend as Claude Giroux was sent to the Panthers. Justin Braun was traded to the Rangers earlier in the day. And now it’s Brassard who wraps up deadline day for Philadelphia.
Brassard, making just $825K, has had a tough time consistently staying in the lineup up until now. He has been limited to 31 games due to a nagging hip injury that sidelined him more than a few times this season. He started off the season well, posting six points in his first five games. Along with Cam Atkinson and Joel Farabee, the three had been an impressive trio together.
In the 31 games that he did play, Brassard put up six goals and 16 points. Staying healthy as of late, he has played in 10 consecutive games after returning for the fourth time this season. He has two goals and five points in those 10 games.
Brassard has made his way around the league as the Oilers will be his 10th team. He’ll return to the Western Conference for the third time in his career. He was most recently with the Coyotes last season. He also played 20 games for the Avalanche in 2018-19. He will bring some postseason experience to Edmonton as well. Brassard has appeared in 117 career playoff games and has impressive numbers. He’s posted 25 goals and 68 points in those 117 games.
The Flyers also had some interest in Martin Jones, but they decided to hold off on trading him. Appears there was some concern on the injuries in which their minor league goalies have been hit with. Wanting a backup goalie in return, they decided to keep the pending free agent for the rest of the season.