The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forward Derick Brassard from the Ottawa Senators as part of a three-team trade also involving the Vegas Golden Knights, the teams announced Friday evening.
Along with Brassard, Pittsburgh also receives a third round draft pick (2018) and forward prospect Vincent Dunn from the Senators as well as forward prospect Tobias Lindberg from the Golden Knights.
The Senators have landed goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson, defenceman Ian Cole, and two draft picks: a first rounder in 2018 and a third rounder in 2019, while Vegas walks away with forward Ryan Reaves and a fourth-round draft pick (2018).
The full details of the transaction brought about plenty of confusion, as the league initially rejected the complicated deal before the teams reworked it.
Brassard, 30, is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2018-19 campaign. He has a salary cap hit of $5 million but is owed only $3.5 million in actual dollars over the final two years of his contract.
So… Reunion? pic.twitter.com/tS3IGiDdQm
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The centre has registered 18 goals and 20 assists in 58 games this season, his second year with the Senators after being acquired from the New York Rangers as part of the Mika Zibanejad trade in 2016.
Gustavsson was selected in the second round (55th overall) by the Penguins in 2016. The 19-year-old highly touted prospect earned a silver medal for Sweden and was named top goalie at the 2018 world juniors in January. He has made 18 appearances with Lulea HF in the Swedish Hockey League this season, posting a 8-9-0 record, 2.16 goals-against average and .917 save percentage.
Cole, 29, is a pending UFA with a $2.1-million cap hit. The blueliner has 13 points and 52 penalty minutes in 47 games this season. He suited up in 49 total playoff games over the past two seasons, which both resulted in Cole and his now-former Pens teammates hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has been busy this month and word is he’s not done yet.
Dorion sent Dion Phaneuf and Nate Thompson to the Los Angeles Kings for Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore earlier this month, and also swapped Chris DiDomenico for Ville Pokka in a minor move with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Earlier in the season, Dorion traded Kyle Turris and acquired Matt Duchene in a three-team blockbuster involving the Senators, Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche.
Teams have until Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. ET to complete any trades.
Penguins GM Jim Rutherford is no stranger to pulling off significant moves prior to the trade deadline. He added defensive depth in the form of veterans Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit in 2017. The year prior he acquired Justin Schultz from the Oilers roughly six weeks after getting Carl Hagelin from the Ducks. In 2015, Rutherford traded for Ian Cole, Ben Lovejoy, Daniel Winnik, Maxim Lapierre and David Perron in the two months leading up to the deadline.
The Pens sit one point back of the Washington Capitals for top spot in the Metropolitan Division heading into Friday’s action. They’re looking to win a third consecutive Stanley Cup championship, something no team has done since the Islanders dynasty of the early 1980s.
The Golden Knights, meanwhile, are the team everyone assumed would be deadline sellers before they even hit the ice for their inaugural season. Yet here they are, sitting comfortably atop the Pacific Division and adding size on the wing to what has been a dynamic group of forwards heading into the post-season.
Reaves, 31, has four goals and four assists in 58 games with the Penguins this season after spending the first seven seasons of his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
- Filip Gustavsson
- First round draft pick (2018)
- Third round draft pick (2019)
