Derick Brassard

Senators acquire Derick Brassard from Rangers for Mika Zibanejad

The Ottawa Senators have acquired center Derick Brassard and a 2018 seventh round pick from the New York Rangers in exchange for center Mika Zibanejad and a 2018 second round selection.

What It Means:

Brassard tallied seven more points than Zibanejad did last season (58 points to 51) in one less game played, but Zibanejad is much younger, by roughly five-and-a-half years. This means the Rangers are potentially downgrading in the middle of the ice in the short-term, but it might come with a payoff that helps for years to come. Another downside for the Rangers is that they lost some cost certainty with the move. Brassard has three seasons remaining on a reasonable five-year, $25 million contract, while Zibanejad can become a restricted free agent after next season and will likely require a raise to his current cap hit of $2,625,000.

Brassard broke the 20 goal mark last season for the first time in his career (27 goals) in 80 games played, but he was poor at driving possession. His Corsi For Percentage was just 47.6 and his Relative Corsi For Percentage at Even Strength was 0.8. Zibanejad's 21 goals and 30 assists were both career highs, but he too was not good at driving possession. His Corsi For Percentage was 48.9 and his Relative Corsi For Percentage at Even Strength was 1.4.