The Colorado Avalanche boost their secondary scoring as Derick Brassard gets traded ... again. We grade both GMs on the deal.
Avalanche get: C Derick Brassard, conditional 2020 sixth-round pick (if Avalanche re-sign Brassard, they do not get the pick)
Panthers get: 2020 third-round pick
Avalanche: B-minus
There are well-traveled players, and then there's Derick Brassard. He's been traded four times since July 2016 and three times in the past 366 days. He began the season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, moved to the Florida Panthers after 40 games, lasted 10 games there and now moves to the Avalanche.
Brassard slots in the middle of Colorado's lineup, which has Nathan MacKinnon (32) on its top line and Carl Soderberg (21 goals) having his best season with the Avs. Coach Jared Bednar has broken up his top line a few times this season, so there's a chance that Brassard could see some time with Gabriel Landeskog on his wing.
This is a good move if the real Derick Brassard shows up again. He was lost in Pittsburgh. He was underwhelming in Florida. It's incredible to think he was a 27-goal, 58-point guy with the Rangers just three years ago. If he can find that game again, this might be a player GM Joe Sakic could re-sign.
At the very least, he bolsters an offense that's been top-heavy most of this season.
Panthers: C-minus
The Avalanche own the Senators' first-rounder this summer, a pick that could end up being first or second overall. Hence, there's every chance that Colorado will be better in 2019-20 than this season, where they're one point out of the wild card. Therefore, it would have been better to snag this season's third-rounder than the one in 2020.
One wonders If GM Dale Tallon acquired Brassard with the thought that he'd get better than a third-rounder in 2020. But the market might not have been there, especially after the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets -- both in the market for Brassard -- opted for Matt Duchene and Kevin Hayes, respectively. Then again, Brassard's value dropped severely in the past year. It's amazing to think that he was involved in a deal that featured a first-rounder moving on Feb. 23, 2018.