Recently, two of the hottest topics being discussed by New York Rangers fans are a possible trade to re-acquire Derick Brassard and the success of Mika Zibanejad. A year and a half after the centers were swapped, it’s a good time to look back and reflect.
Approximately one and a half seasons have gone by with Mika Zibanejad as a New York Ranger and Derick Brassard as an Ottawa Senator. Also included in the trade was a 2017 second round pick being acquired by the Rangers and seventh round pick to Ottawa.
This trade was an absolute shock to the makeup of the Rangers. Brassard was a leader and a big game performer who should have been on the team for years to come. The now 30-year-old was coming off of a great year offensively, despite the team’s overall lack of success. At first glance, this trade was a tough pill to swallow. Besides being popular with the fanbase, Brassard was loved by his teammates and the entire Rangers organization.
He was a clutch player in the playoffs and in big moments during the regular season. While he was a Ranger, the team reached two Eastern Conference Finals and made a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. To add to all of this, Zibanejad had a low profile from his years in Ottawa making the potential for a bad fit high.
Let’s take a look at how this exchange has panned out for both sides.
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Brassard’s time in New York
As mentioned earlier, the immediate reaction to the trade was mostly negative. Besides negativity, there was a lot of confusion. Why would the Rangers trade one of their best players?
The New York Rangers showed no signs of ill-will towards Derick Brassard. In fact, he had one of the best campaigns of his career, setting a career high in goals with 27.
He was just two points away from tying his career high in points as well (27 goals and 31 assists for 58 points). In each of his three seasons with the Rangers, the forward scored at least 18 goals and centered the team’s best scoring line.
About that “playoff hero” status? He put up 44 points (18 goals and 26 assists) in 59 playoff games with New York. Though known for his offense, the former sixth overall pick was strong enough in the defensive zone to get faceoff starts in his own end.
However, Brassard wasn’t necessarily the reason why this trade was made.
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Immediate benefits of the trade
The Rangers were reeling off of an embarrassing post-season campaign, the Pittsburgh Penguins bounced the team in just five games.
The Rangers were outright dominated, they lost by two goals in all four losses. The worst result came in the form of a five-goal shutout loss in game four. It was obvious that some changes needed to be made.
This trade was the first “big move” made by New York after being pummeled by Pittsburgh, and it definitely sent a message. Mika Zibanejad, six years younger than Brassard, showed a lot of potential at the time of the trade.
When the swap was made, Zibanejad was coming off of his best year yet, scoring 51 points (21 goals and 30 assists) in 81 games. Being an inch taller and 23 pounds heavier than Derick Brassard gave him the edge in size.
Though surprising, a little research already proved that the New York Rangers would benefit from this trade.
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After one season
Mika Zibanejad’s first season with the New York Rangers was definitely one to remember. He had the third-best season in his career thus far, even though he suffered a broken leg and missed 26 games. In just 56 games, he notched 37 points (14 goals and 23 assists). Fans warmed up to him quickly, and with good reason.
Towards the end of the season, Zibanejad had great chemistry with players like Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider. This was especially evident in the playoff series involving the Rangers and Ottawa Senators.
Zibanejad, along with then-linemates Kreider and Zuccarello, were offensive game-changers throughout the series. Through the first three games of this series, Zibanejad had three points (all assists) compared to Derick Brassard’s zero.
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Present day
(All stats in this section via Natural Stat Trick)
As of right now, the “Mika Zibanejad experiment” is still paying dividends for the Rangers. After 32 games, Zibanejad has notched 23 points (12 goals and 11 assists). Prior to him missing two weeks with a concussion, he was playing at a point a game pace.
He is currently fourth on the team in points, second in goals, and seventh in assists, despite missing nine games earlier this season. The 24-year-old’s offensive contributions to the team have made a positive difference since the move.
Arguably the most important part of Zibanejad’s role as a Ranger, he has filled the “number-one center” void left by Derek Stepan. Over the summer of 2017, Derek Stepan was traded. This trade left the Rangers with no proven number one center.
At the beginning of this season, Zibanejad stepped up to the plate. He has surprised many and proven over and over again that he has what it takes to be the number-one center that this team needed.
His Corsi-For Percentage backs him up as well. Out of the 25 players that he has been on the ice with this season, he makes 17 of them, or 68% of them, better (according to CF%).
For example, when playing with Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich’s CF% goes up by eight percent. When Kreider plays with Zibanejad, his CF% goes up by 10%.
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The Zibanejad-Brassard trade worked out very well for the New York Rangers. Although fans had their concerns at first, Zibanejad has shown that he fits in with the Rangers and adds a lot of upside in the present and will in the future.