Montreal Canadiens: Derick Brassard Would Be Smart, Insurance For Habs

Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has been busy. If he is looking for another forward, Derick Brassard would make sense.

The Montreal Canadiens have been busy adding players to their lineup this offseason. They brought in Jake Allen in goal, Joel Edmundson and Alexander Romanov on defence and Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli up front.

They have added depth at literally every position, though they did take away an interesting option at centre. Max Domi was sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the trade that brought Anderson to Columbus.

Domi played two seasons in Montreal and his first was far more impressive than his second.

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Domi scored 28 goals and 72 points in 2018-19 while playing first line centre in Montreal. He hadn’t played a lot of centre to that point in his NHL career, and it looked like everything had come together for the gritty, skilled forward and son of former tough guy Tie Domi.

However, this past season didn’t go quite as well for Domi and he found himself on the fourth line with Dale Weise and Jordan Weal during the postseason. Domi eventually switched to right wing and moved up the lineup to play with Jonathan Drouin and Nick Suzuki.

With Anderson and Toffoli in Canadiens colours, the Habs have filled that need at right wing. Also, the reason that Domi was playing on the fourth line in the first place was because Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Phillip Danault and Suzuki looked great in the postseason at centre on the top three lines.

But, with Domi gone, there is a lot of pressure on those centres, especially the younger Kotkaniemi and Suzuki. With Jake Evans looking to take over as the team’s fourth line centre, that gives the Canadiens a rookie, a sophomore, a third year pro and a pending UFA down the middle of the ice.

A little insurance there wouldn’t be bad.

That insurance could come in the form of Derick Brassard.

The Canadiens are nearing the salary cap, but can afford to bring in another forward, as long as he signed for less than a million dollars, and perhaps even a little closer to NHL’s minimum wage of $700,000.

Brassard is coming off a one-year contract that saw him earn just $1.2 million last season with the New York Islanders. He was brought in to be the team’s third line centre but was moved up to a second line with Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier for an extended period.

Brassard scored ten goals and 32 points in 66 games. This was a step up from his previous season which saw him play for three different teams and score just 23 points in 70 games.

Normally, this would mean Brassard has earned a raise, but there aren’t many teams looking to spend money at the moment.

With few other options, would the Hull, Quebec native consider another one-year contract? This time with the team that plays its home games about two hours drive from his hometown? Would he be willing to do it for about $750,000?

The 33 year old had a decent season with the Islanders last year. He had just under half of a point per game and added eight more points in 18 postseason contests. He primarily played the wing last season but has always played centre before that in his career.

That is what makes his so valuable to the Canadiens at the moment. If everyone is healthy, Brassard would battle with Jake Evans for the fourth line centre role. Of course, injuries are a common occurrence and Brassard showed the flexibility to play the wing as well as centre last season so he could step into the lineup for just about anyone.

Also, there are some questions left to be answered for the Canadiens at centre. Can Suzuki avoid a sophomore slump? Is Kotkaniemi ready to be a productive third line centre at the NHL level? Is Evans going to handle the rigours of the NHL calendar without any bumps in the road?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, the Canadiens are in trouble down the middle. If Brassard is on the roster, he could step in and play third line centre and do it well. He could also play a handful of games at second line left wing if Drouin is hurt, or fourth line right wing is Joel Armia is out with an illness.

It would also allow Brassard to be close to the Gatineau Olympiques. He purchased the team over the summer and would undoubtedly like to keep a close eye on the team he owns. The best way to do that is to play for the awful Ottawa Senators or possibly contending Canadiens.

It makes a lot of sense for both sides to find a contract that works. Brassard could be close to his hometown as well as his new QMJHL club and he would be a free agent again in a year when there is more money to go around. The Habs would add another depth option that has the versatility to fill in pretty much anywhere in the lineup.

Without longer or more lucrative offers coming his way, a one-year deal at less than a million dollars makes more sense for Brassard every day he remains on the free agent market.