Flyers Sign F Derick Brassard to 1-Year Deal

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

Just when you thought Chuck Fletcher may be done with his offseason, the Flyers go out and make another addition.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Flyers announced that they had signed free-agent forward Derick Brassard to a one-year deal worth $825,000.

Brassard, 33, played for the Arizona Coyotes in the 2020-21 season, scoring eight goals and 20 points in 53 games. He has played in 14 NHL seasons, totalling 905 career games. In his career, he has scored 194 goals and 503 points.

Brassard also spent parts of four seasons with the New York Rangers from 2013-2016, including three under current Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault. In his career, Brassard has reached the conference final four times, including making a Stanley Cup Final run with the Rangers in 2014 and reaching the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 with the New York Islanders after defeating the Flyers in the playoffs. 

Other Flyer connections for Brassard include playing alongside Kevin Hayes and Keith Yandle in his final two seasons with the Rangers as well as with Cam Atkinson for two seasons in Columbus.

In addition to the Coyotes, Rangers and Islanders, Brassard has also played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche.

The addition of Brassard helps the Flyers fill out the bottom six of the lineup even further. Aside from a third-line center, the Flyers had realistically addressed nearly every need they had. It was certainly a more curious situation for the Flyers – wondering if they would try to place a player like Claude Giroux or Scott Laughton, who they have preferred on the wing, back at center to fill the void. 

Brassard essentially becomes the insurance policy to the young forwards trying to take the role, specifically Morgan Frost. If Frost doesn’t perform as well as he may need to win the role, the team can easily use Brassard there. In addition, Brassard’s low cap hit once again makes it easy for him to be interchanged with any of the younger players trying to make the roster.

Even with this move, there still could be more to come in the final weeks before training camp begins. You can certainly put nothing past Chuck Fletcher, who has been among the most active general managers in the NHL this offseason.