WHOA JIMMY! Pens Acquire Center Derick Brassard From Ottawa In Exchange For A 1st Round Pick, Filip Gustavsson, and Ian Cole (UPDATE: Ryan Reaves Also Traded To Vegas)

img_5070

BIG TIME MOVE, LADIES AND GENTS. Right before you were about to get ready to punch out for the weekend, Darren Dreger goes out and drops a bombshell on us.

Boom. Just like that, the 3rd line center position in Pittsburgh has officially been filled. Derick Brassard is now officially a member of your back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Beautiful.

But we all knew acquiring a guy like Brassard would come at a pretty hefty cost. He’s got two years left on his contract with an AAV (average annual value) of $5 million and a modified NTC (no trade clause – but that doesn’t really mean shit here, I just felt like including it to make it sound interesting). The possibility of the Penguins trading for Brassard was such a dilemma last night for Pittsburghers after the Devils acquired Michael Grabner, even the mayor was up losing sleep trying to figure how the GMJR could pull it off.

So what’s the answer?

A 1st round pick, goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson, and “other cap related elements.”

“Other cap related elements?”

WHOA JIMMY! Pens Acquire Center Derick Brassard From Ottawa In Exchange For A 1st Round Pick, Filip Gustavsson, and Ian Cole (UPDATE: Ryan Reaves Also Traded To Vegas)

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

So long, Ian. You served us well.

WHOA JIMMY! Pens Acquire Center Derick Brassard From Ottawa In Exchange For A 1st Round Pick, Filip Gustavsson, and Ian Cole (UPDATE: Ryan Reaves Also Traded To Vegas)

So perhaps a high cost to lose a 1st rounder, high level prospect, and Ian Cole, but here’s the thing:

A. The Penguins didn’t include Daniel Sprong in the package for Brassard like many were speculating (including yours truly), B. Derick Brassard is a VERY good two-way center who has the ability to raise his game in the postseason (. 71 PPG career average in the playoffs compared to say, Nick Bonino, who has a .53 PPG career average) ,and C. This gives them another opportunity to win now. Not next year. Not five years from now. NOW. 2018.

Like John Yohe says, sometimes you have to pay a pretty steep price when you’re in the business of winning championships. And that’s exactly what the Penguins did today.

So what’s it take to win three cups?

 

img_5073

Brass… ard.

(h/t to @PenguinsMarch for the gif.)

Buckle up, ladies and gents! It’s time to defend the throne again.

P.S. – If this doesn’t give you goose pimples then you should probably go get checked out by a neurologist.

And oh yeah, Riley Sheahan is now a 4th line center. Not bad.

P.P.S. – This guy Phil Turkas owes me a buck.

https://twitter.com/pturkas/status/966040837921665025

WHOA JIMMY! Pens Acquire Center Derick Brassard From Ottawa In Exchange For A 1st Round Pick, Filip Gustavsson, and Ian Cole (UPDATE: Ryan Reaves Also Traded To Vegas)

UPDATE: Nobody knows what the actual fuck is going on. Safe to say Brassard is a Penguin, though.

UPDATE (9:06 pm EST): Looks like Reaves is part of the deal as well.

WHOA JIMMY! Pens Acquire Center Derick Brassard From Ottawa In Exchange For A 1st Round Pick, Filip Gustavsson, and Ian Cole (UPDATE: Ryan Reaves Also Traded To Vegas)

UPDATE (9:22 pm EST): Here’s the official breakdown:

@PeepsBurgh

Arrow to top