The New York Rangers have made their fair share of upgrades to the on-ice product, and they are also making big changes to the front office that are long overdue. Tanner Glass' promotion to replace Jed Ortmeyer was a move that turned heads, and today's announcement bringing "Big Game Brass" back to Broadway is a perfect fit for him and the organization.
The #NYR are hiring former player Derick Brassard as a player development assistant, according to a league source. He’ll report directly to new director Tanner Glass.
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) July 21, 2026
Brassard's background makes him perfect fit for development role
The Rangers gain a significant amount of experience by having Brassard join the front office, and he brings 1,013 regular season games of experience along with 118 playoff games. Although he was a lottery pick, sixth overall in 2007 with the Columbus Blue Jackets, his lasting impact on the league is as a journeyman who dressed for 10 different organizations.
His stop in New York last part of four seasons, and in 254 regular season games he had 69 goals, 105 assists, and 174 points which is the most total points he had with any of the teams in his career. Brassard also logged 59 playoff games, during which he has 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points which is what earned him his nickname.
Having someone like Brassard who played such a skilled game, moved around the league, and had to work hard to stay in the league in his later years, is something that will be a benefit to the Rangers. For far too long there have been complaints about the team not having the right type of former pros in roles to help bring the next wave along.
Ortmeyer was a fan favorite during his time as a grit and guts guy, and Glass is very similar in that regard. That certainly is important in some ways, as there are other elements at play when becoming an NHL pro. That said, the lack of tangible results from some top drafted players during Jed's watch certainly had to have played a role in him being let go. He might have been great for some stuff that was going on in the background, but the on-ice stuff is also very important, and someone like Brassard is a perfect voice to have around.
Not only can he speak to the pressure of being a top pick, his struggles in Columbus which ultimately led to a trade, but he can impart wisdom on by reflecting on his time with the Rangers and how that short stretch reignited his career and allowed him to continue and be looked at just a little bit differently.
Drury's makeover of franchise is more visible than ever
President and General Manager Chris Drury has taken his fair share of criticism in recent years, and the jury is still out on whether or not the moves he's made will end up being the right ones. That said, this summer's transformation is making it crystal clear that he is doing everything in his power to put his stamp on the franchise, slowly and surely finally make changes to things that were in place prior to his promotion.
The hiring of Brassard is something that will take some time to evaluate, but of the possible names the team could have picked, he's one that threads the needle perfectly, and it will be nice to have him around to help shape the next wave of talent during the post Letter 2.0 era.
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