Ottawa Senators: Derick Brassard Traded To Pittsburgh Penguins
The rebuild is here for the Ottawa Senators. After weeks of speculation the Ottawa Senators have traded Derick Brassard to Pittsburgh Penguins.
The deal sees the Ottawa Senators trade Derick Brassard to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a first round pick in 2018, Filip Gustavsson, and Ian Cole.
The Return
Of the pieces coming back the two that are significant are the draft pick and Gustavsson. The draft pick will likely be in 25-31 range as the Penguins will contend for the Stanley Cup. However, a first round pick even a late one is good part of a package for Brassard.
Gustavsson is the most significant part of the deal for the Ottawa Senators. Gustavsson is a goaltender that was drafted by the Penguins in the second round of 2016. Since then his stock has continued to rise. Notably he was named the best goaltender of the tournament at the most recent World Junior Championship, helping Sweden to a silver medal. His addition gives the Sens a great option for their goaltending situation in the future, a position they had been weak at recently.
The final piece of the deal is Ian Cole who is a 29 year old defenceman. He’s a stay at home defenceman that helped the Penguins win both of their back to back cups. He certainly helps the Sens on defence in the immediate future. However, it’s been reported that he will likely be flipped before the deadline and will never play for the Sens. Regardless if he’s traded that’s great, if he isn’t then he’s certainly capable of stepping in temporarily.
A Solid Trade
Overall this isn’t a bad trade for the Sens. They were heading in the direction of a rebuild with the current state of the team and Brassard was always going to be a casualty. The return is solid with a good draft pick and most importantly a high end goalie prospect.
Next: Ottawa Senators: The Trade Value Of Erik Karlsson
A Cloudy Future
With this deal coming through it pretty much guarantees that the Ottawa Senators are going into a rebuild. Whether it will be a short term or long term rebuild will depend on Melnyk. The Sens could build around the core of Karlsson, Stone, Hoffman, Duchene, and Chabot and be back to a competitive state sooner rather than later, or they could have a full fire sale. What they should do is build around that still relatively young core. However, it’s up to Melnyk to decide whether he’s willing to pay those players. If he’s not, this could be a very long and grueling process.