Fans have long been frustrated with the development of New York Rangers prospects. Now the organization, in addition to hiring recently retired netminder Jonathan Quick, is bringing back one of its biggest stars from the mid-2010’s to help out with player development. The New York Rangers hired former center Derick Brassard, as reported Tuesday by Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic.
Brassard will join the New York Rangers front office as a player development assistant. The man affectionately referred to as ‘Big Game Brass’ will report directly to the new director of player development and former teammate Tanner Glass.
Player Development Woes in New York
Many fans expressed frustration about the direction of the organization’s player development following high-profile drafting and development issues. These date back to the Jeff Gorton era, though not exclusively. The question is whether hiring Derick Brassard will make a major difference.
The Rangers picked four times in the top 10 of the NHL Draft between 2017 and 2020. Only one of those players is still with the Rangers. Alexis Lafrenière, taken No. 1 overall in 2020, has been up and down. He remains the best of the four.
The other three players, Kaapo Kakko (No. 2 overall in 2019), Vitali Kravtsov (No. 9 overall in 2018) and Lias Andersson (No. 7 overall in 2017) all struggled in New York. Kakko is the only one to carve out an NHL career, though he’s a middle-six forward. His career 37 points per 82-game NHL average is well below what many would expect based on his draft position. Kravtsov left the NHL for the KHL after a disappointing 12 points across 64 games split among two seasons. Andersson is playing in Switzerland. He scored only 17 points in 110 games split across six seasons with New York and Los Angeles.
There are other examples of stalled development, including general manager Chris Drury’s first-ever draft pick as GM, Brennan Othmann. It remains to be seen if hiring Derick Brassard will play a factor in how the Rangers’ development changes.
Hiring Derick Brassard an Intriguing Move for Rangers Front Office
Brassard earned the nickname ‘Big Game Brass’ in his four-year run with the Rangers. New York appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals twice, defeating Montreal in 2014 and losing to Tampa in 2015. He was one of their key pivots during the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals run, ultimately falling short in five games versus Los Angeles. Brassard scored 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 59 career playoff games with the New York Rangers.
Brassard could potentially be a big help to a Rangers organization in a spot where they’ve been notoriously weak. It could also be a sign that Brassard wants to get front-office experience. He’s also a former center. If the Rangers think they might be in a position to draft a first-round center for the first time since 2017 (Andersson at No. 7 and Filip Chytil at No. 21), Brassard might be uniquely positioned to help in that department. The Rangers’ long-term outlook at center appears catastrophic due to a lack of investment in the position.
Hiring Derick Brassard Continues His NHL Odyssey
Brassard is something of a curiosity. He’s a former high draft pick himself, taken No. 6 overall by Columbus in 2006. He was an up-and-down player for them across five seasons. Brassard played his best years in New York, struggled in Ottawa and Pittsburgh before finishing his career as a journeyman between Florida, Colorado, the New York Islanders, Arizona, Philadelphia, Edmonton and Ottawa again in a span of just five seasons.
He was part of two of the biggest trades in Rangers history. He came to New York in the deal that sent superstar Marion Gaborik to Columbus. That trade also brought Derek Dorsett to New York. He, like Brassard, played a critical role for the Rangers in their run to the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals. Trading Gaborik resulted in him eventually landing in Los Angeles, where they ran into him in those same finals.
On the way out of New York, the Rangers dealt Brassard to acquire Mika Zibanejad in what many fans consider to be the best 21st-century trade the Rangers have made, if not the best in their long history.
Now that the Rangers have hired Derick Brassard, he has a chance to once again make a major impact on the organization that earned him the ‘Big Game Brass’ moniker.
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