The New York Rangers avoided arbitration with centre Derick Brassard to sign him to a five year, $25 million contract. The deal is set to pay Brassard $5 million AAV and also comes with a limited no-trade clause.
Brassard, 26, was set for an abitration hearing on Monday, however general manager Glen Sather came to terms with his restricted free agent by offering a front-loaded contract that will pay Brassard $7 million in the first season and $3.5 million per in the final two seasons. In the second and third year of his contract, Brassard’s pay will be reduced by $1 million per year.
Last year, Brassard hit a career-high in goals (18) and finished with 45 points, two points short of his 47 point campaign with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010-11. Averaging close to 15 minutes of ice time per game, Brassard and linemate Benoit Pouliot were key elements to the Rangers third line and success to the team’s efforts that landed them a Stanley Cup finals appearance last year. Brassard himself was consistent throughout the 2013-14 season, providing secondary scoring and playing a defensive role on the team’s third line. Although the Rangers have since departed with Pouliot, who signed with the Edmonton Oilers in the off-season, Brassard will continue to inject his two-way play into the Rangers system.
In 94 games with the New York Rangers, Brassard has rallied 23 goals and and 33 assists while remaining a +5. With the NHL salary cap continuing to rise and the ongoing rate at which some free agents are going for, especially in the same role Brassard is playing in, the contract is a fair one. A front-loaded deal makes it even more reasonable, as it becomes easier to trade a player that makes significantly less money in the final two years of his deal. At the age of 30, which is how old Brassard will be in the fourth year of his deal, a $3.5 million price tag given his role is a consideration many teams will make.
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