Derick Brassard

As a youth, Brassard played in the 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Gatineau L'Intrépide minor ice hockey team .[1] He later served as captain of the same midget team.[2] He was selected in the second round, 18th overall, of the 2003 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Draft by the Drummondville Voltigeurs.[3]

Brassard spent most of the 2003–04 season playing midget hockey with the L'Intrépide before making his debut with the Voltigeurs where, in ten regular season games and seven playoff games, Brassard registered one assist.[4] He spent the entire season with the Voltigeurs during the 2004–05 season, registering 76 points in 69 games. Brassard's results were enough that he was named to the CHL All-Rookie Team and the QMJHL All-Rookie Team. He was also named the QMJHL Rookie of the Year and awarded the Michel Bergeron Trophy as the Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Brassard improved on his results during the 2005–06 season, finishing the regular season with 44 goals and 72 assists for 116 points in 58 games. He participated in the CHL Top Prospects Game and, at the conclusion of the season, was named to the QMJHL First All-Star Team, the CHL First All-Star term and was awarded the Michael Bossy Trophy for QMJHL Best Professional Prospect.

Brassard was selected in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the sixth overall pick. Considered one of the better skaters in the Draft by both NHL Central Scouting and the International Scouting Service, Brassard is said to be a "great playmaker that can score as well."

Brassard was returned to the Voltigeurs for the 2006–07 season but suffered a serious shoulder injury during a pre-season game and spent the rest of the season sidelined, appearing in only 14 games.

On November 20, 2016, Brassard's number 61 was retired by the Voltigeurs as part of their 35th season celebrations.[5] He scored 75 goals, 143 assists and 218 points in 151 games with the Voltigeurs.[6] His linemate Guillaume Latendresse had his number 22 retired later the same season.[7]

Brassard signed a three-year entry level contract with the Blue Jackets on September 21, 2006.[8]

Brassard began the 2007–08 season with the Blue Jackets' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Following his first month, he was named the AHL's Rookie of the Month. While a broken jaw sidelined him for two months, he continued to put up impressive numbers in the league.

Brassard with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2010–11 season

Brassard was recalled to Columbus on January 10, 2008. However, after playing 17 games with the Blue Jackets, where he registered one goal and one assist, Brassard was sent back to the Crunch on February 27, totalling 26 points upon his return to finish the regular season.

In an attempt to assure himself a roster spot for the 2008–09 season, Brassard, among several other players, spent the 2008 off-season in Columbus with the Blue Jackets personal training staff, just as forward Jared Boll had done the previous off-season. Brassard made the team out of camp for 2008–09 and performed remarkably well, being named NHL Rookie of the Month for October 2008 with the most points by any NHL rookie,[9] closely followed by linemate and fellow Jackets first round draft pick Jakub Voracek.

On December 18, 2008, Brassard was injured during the first period of Columbus' 6–5 shootout loss at the Dallas Stars during a fight with the Stars' rookie winger James Neal. In the fight, he suffered a dislocated shoulder and had to undergo surgery. At the time of his injury, Brassard had 10 goals, 15 assists, with 17 PIM and a plus-minus rating of +12 in 31 games, leading the NHL in rookie scoring.

During the lock-out-shortened 2012–13 season, on April 3, 2013, Brassard was dealt in a trade deadline day deal by the Blue Jackets, along with Derek Dorsett, John Moore and a sixth-round draft pick, to the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Marian Gaborik and two minor league defencemen.[10]

On July 27, 2014, Brassard signed a five-year, $25 million contract extension with the Rangers.[11]

In the 2014–15 season, Brassard enjoyed career highs, recording 19 goals and 41 assists, for a total of 60 points. He also led the Rangers in playoff goals and points.

Brassard with the Senators during the 2017 playoffs

After three seasons with the Rangers, Brassard was traded along with a 2018 7th round draft pick to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Mika Zibanejad and a 2018 2nd round draft pick on July 18, 2016.[12] The trade had been agreed upon weeks prior, but the Senators were reluctant to pay a $2 million bonus that Brassard was due to receive on July 15, so the trade was stalled for a few weeks.[13]

In his first season with the Senators, Brassard would help defeat his former team, the New York Rangers, in the second round of the playoffs as Ottawa advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games.

Brassard with the Pittsburgh Penguins shortly after his trade in 2018.

After being the subject of trade rumours for much of the season, Brassard was involved in a three-team trade involving the Senators, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights on February 23, 2018. Brassard, along with prospect Vincent Dunn and a third-round 2018 draft pick, was traded to the Penguins in exchange for a 2018 1st-round draft pick, a 2019 third-round draft pick, defenseman Ian Cole, and goaltender Filip Gustavsson.[14] As part of the deal, Brassard was briefly property of the Golden Knights as a means of that franchise retaining 40% of Brassard's contract over the next two seasons, helping the Penguins remain under the NHL salary cap.[14]

Brassard never found stable chemistry with his linemates in Pittsburgh,[15] and on February 1, 2019, after scoring only 23 points since he was acquired the previous February, Brassard was traded to the Florida Panthers along with Riley Sheahan, a second- and two fourth-round picks in 2019 (one of which initially belonged to the Minnesota Wild) in exchange for Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann.[16]

After just ten games with the Panthers, Brassard was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on February 25, 2019. He was moved along with a conditional 2020 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2020 third-round pick.[17] Just hours after being traded, he and the Avalanche played the Panthers at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Brassard scored in the game, but the Avalanche lost 4–3 in overtime.[18]

On August 21, 2019, Brassard signed a one-year contract with the New York Islanders.[19] With the Islanders, Brassard played most of his time at right wing as opposed to his natural center position, playing mostly on a line with Anthony Beauvillier and Brock Nelson. Before the regular season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Brassard scored 32 points in 66 games, including 10 goals.

As a free agent from the Islanders and approaching the delayed 2020–21 season, Brassard joined his eighth club in signing a one-year, $1 million contract with the Arizona Coyotes on December 30, 2020.[20]