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Ottawa Senators Trade Mika Zibanejad for Derick Brassard

By Ian Smith

Mar 15, 2016; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators center Mika Zibanejad (93) scores the game tying goal with 7 seconds left in the third period against the Minnesota Wild at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2016; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators center Mika Zibanejad (93) scores the game tying goal with 7 seconds left in the third period against the Minnesota Wild at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Ottawa Senators have traded Mika Zibanejad and a second round pick in 2018 to the New York Rangers for Derick Brassard and a seventh round pick in 2018.

After a very quiet offseason up to this point besides contract disputes with Mike Hoffman and Cody Ceci, this is a major move for the Senators, and it appears like not only a way to get more experience in the lineup, but also save money down the road.

Zibanejad is eligible to be a restricted free agent next offseason. He is going to make $3.25 million next season, and is in line for a huge raise.

His point totals have improved from 20, to 33, to 46, to 51 each year he has played for the Senators, and clearly Ottawa was anxious about giving him a raise.

Conversely, Brassard is owed $10 million total over the next 3 seasons. On the surface, it seems largely driven by economics.

Brassard is coming off a season in which he lead the Rangers with 27 goals. He doesn’t have the upside that Zibanejad has at this point, but is already playing at a level that many people have questioned whether or not Zibanejad can get to.

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Another important factor is that Brassard played for new Senators coach Guy Boucher with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL.

It bodes well for Hoffman’s chances of getting signed long term with the Senators if this team traded a potentially rising star like Zibanejad for a former player that Boucher is familiar with. That’s not a coincidence.

Hoffman also played for Boucher with Drummondville, so he should be breathing a sigh of relief that the team is orchestrating their roster construction around players that Boucher has connections to.

This seems like a classic “predictability for potential” trade, with the Senators opting for predictability. The allure of Zibanejad has always been based on his potential, and this is the Senators trading away that potential for a guy in Brassard who’s more experienced and seemingly has reached his plateau for the type of player he is.

It’s a shocking transaction, because this is the Senators’ front office essentially saying that Zibanejad isn’t going to live up to the promise of being the 6th overall pick in 2011.

If Zibanejad ends up thriving with the Rangers and reaches that 70 point level, then it will be yet another trade that the Senators can look back on and shake their head.

Brassard can help the Senators. He’s a solid leader, and has good defensive skills to compliment his ability to light the lamp.

This is the Senators’ way of placing an indictment upon Zibanejad. They don’t see him ever becoming a 30 goal scorer, and they aren’t going to pay for future production that they don’t think will ever arrive.

You can call it frustrating penny pinching, or call it shrewd money management. It will all depend on whether Zibanejad will take that next step.

Next: Ottawa Senators Get Positive Indication from Mike Hoffman

This is a major transaction that is going to end up being a part of Pierre Dorion’s legacy running this team. If Zibanejad blossoms into a star player wearing a Rangers jersey, he’ll be added to the list of star players that the Senators let get away.

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