Update: After The NHL rejected a three-way deal between Ottawa, Pittsburgh and the Vegas Golden Knights that would have seen Derick Brassard become a member of the Penguins. The teams went back to the drawing board and re-worked the deal. Following a series of transactions, the following assets were acquired.
The Pittsburgh Penguins acquire forward Derick Brassard, prospect Vincent Dunn, and a 2018 third round pick for the Ottawa Senators, and forward Tobias Lindberg from the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Senators acquire defenceman Ian Cole, goalie prospect Filip Gustavsson, a 2018 first round pick, and a 2019 third round pick from the Penguins.
The Golden Knights acquire forward Ryan Reaves and a 2018 fourth round pick from the Penguins. They also retain 40% of Brassard’s salary.
Brassard, 30, was a hot topic name this trade season, and it only fits the bill that he has been traded. The Senators continue the tear-down and rebuild that began with the trade of Dion Phaneuf.
? TRADE ALERT ?#NHLTonight for more, right now! pic.twitter.com/zpgpvhjaL4
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) February 24, 2018
Ottawa Senators Trade Derick Brassard to Pittsburgh
Brassard arrived in Ottawa in the summer of 2016 after the New York Rangers traded him in exchange for Mika Zibanejad. Brassard took a while to warm up in Ottawa but managed to contribute. In his two seasons with the Sens, he has played in 139 games, scoring 32 goals and tallying 45 assists for 77 points. This season, Brassard has played in 58 games, scoring 18 goals and adding 20 assists for 38 points.
Brassard is an aggressive forward with a touch for scoring and the Penguins are hoping that he can fill the third-line centre role that they have been searching for all season. Brassard brings skill to the roster. In his NHL career, Brassard has skated in 702 games, scoring 159 goals, and 261 assists for 421 points.
Lindberg, 22, was originally drafted by the Senators. He went to the Toronto Maple Leafs when the Senators acquired Dion Phaneuf in 2016. The Leafs sent him to Vegas in the Calvin Pickard trade. The Swedish winger has 18 points in 48 AHL games this season.
Dunn, 22, was the Senators fifth-round pick, 138th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. He has just four assists in 17 AHL games this season, as well as seven goals and one assist in 16 ECHL games.
Heading to Ottawa
Gustavsson, 19, was the Penguins second-round pick, 55th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. He is playing for Lulea in the SHL and has a 2.16 goals-against average, and .917 save percentage in 18 games. He won silver with Sweden at the World Junior Championships, playing in six games with a 1.81 goals-against average, and a .904 save percentage. You can check out our prospect profile and scouting report on Gustavsson from last summer here.
Cole was included in this deal in order to fit Brassard under the Penguins tight salary cap situation. A pending unrestricted free agent, the Senators could look to flip the defender to another team before Monday’s trade deadline. Cole has put up three goals and 13 points in 47 games this season.
Vegas Bound
Reaves, 31, was acquired by the Penguins in a trade with St. Louis at the 2017 NHL Draft. The hard-nosed winger has four goals and four assists in 58 games this season, and has also added 84 penalty minutes.
What It Means
The Senators have struggled this season and have been looking to shake up their roster. Brassard, being 30, still has some good years left in him, so the Senators felt that he would give them the best return they could get. Brassard is set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season. With Matt Duchene and Erik Karlsson needing contracts at the same time, the Senators have also made this move with future financial considerations in mind.
The Penguins fill the biggest need on their roster and are once again looking like a favourite for the Stanley Cup. The Penguins already had one of the weaker prospect groups in the league and in moving a promising goalie and their 2018 first round pick, that is unlikely to change. This team is all-in. They have two Cups to show for their moves though and could be getting a third this June.
Main Photo: OTTAWA, ON – NOVEMBER 17: Ottawa Senators Center Derick Brassard (19) celebrates a goal to make it 1-1 in the first period during a game between the Nashville Predators and Ottawa Senators on November 17, 2016, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, On. (Photo by Jay Kopinski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
