Rumor: Brassard close to signing with the Islanders

[CupofOil]

Except you’ve not made an argument as of yet. The only person adding absolutely nothing is you by white knighting for Brassard on the basis of nada. Lucic scored a handful less points playing a less important position and wasn’t a liability defensively, just offensively. Brassard was a liability defensively playing a more important position, therefor I can make the argument that Lucic added more value to the Oilers than Brassard did for Pittsburgh or Colorado.

So you guys get to trumpet on and on about how Oiler fans know nothing about Brassard because Pens fans know better since they saw him play all the time yet you're droning on about how Lucic was better (and not a liability defensively lol) and disregarding what Oilers fans, who watched him play all the time, tell you to the contrary.

Let me be honest, a wet paper towel would be an improvement on the Oilers bottom 6 last season after Strome was dealt. Not only did they not score, they were an enormous liability that opposing teams feasted on nightly.
Keep this in mind, the Oilers had two 100+ point scorers including a 50 goal scorer and their 2nd line center scored 30 goals, 70 points yet the team finished bottom 10 in the league and had a massive negative goal differential. You know why? Because the bottom 6, including Lucic, was horrendous so please don't tell us (Oiler fans) that we're wrong about Lucic. He, and the rest of the bottom 6 post-Strome trade, was as bad as it gets.

I'm sure Brassard was just as bad last season and even if he turns out to be a negative next season, so what? Worst case scenario, it'll be more of the same from last year, can't get worse. A 1 year deal is nothing. No harm no foul, but at least there's a track record of success with this player so at least there's the chance of a bounce back even if it's small.
Anyway, this is a George Laraque rumor so it could very well not be true.

 

[justafan22]

He was a ghost in the playoffs

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Not compared to Lucic.

Very true. However Lucic provides physicality and leadership. I don't know which I'd rather have between those two.

 

[qqaz]

Doesn’t Tippett like to use a stifling defensive game strategy? And often times at the cost of offense.

Regardless of what anyone thinks of Brassard, I think this is a terrible fit for him. He’s the exact opposite of the type of player Tippett likes.

That's a really good point. From the outside, it doesn't look like a good match.

But maybe Holland is hoping that Tippett can get Brassard's defensive game back up to par. Tippet has always gotten his rosters to buy-in when he was in Phoenix.

Brass used to be considered a great 2-way player. He clearly didn't fit with PIT, and he he even admitted that in an interview here. Sounds like he wanted a bigger role, and din't like being a 3rd liner with less ice time. Giving him a chance is clearly a dice-roll. But it's change with a possibility of some scoring.

That's pretty much exactly the kind of move I think Edmonton should be making. Sign anyone with some scoring potential, and see if they can stick. Good move by Ken Holand (if true).

 

[Seachd]

In this thread:

Pittsburgh fan: “Hey Oiler fan, don’t tell us how good or bad Brassard was last year because he actually played 40 games for us. Now that we’re clear on that, let us tell you how good Lucic was.”

 

[joestevens29]

I mean if it's only a 1mil or something what should we really expect anyway?

I think we are at the time of year where we have a chance to take a chance on a guy that in the past has proven he can chip in some goals. We are a team that had very low production from the bottom 6 and can use any goals we can get.

If he does sign and fails, then oh well. But we have to be trying to get better somehow

 

[joestevens29]

That's a really good point. From the outside, it doesn't look like a good match.

But maybe Holland is hoping that Tippett can get Brassard's defensive game back up to par. Tippet has always gotten his rosters to buy-in when he was in Phoenix.

Brass used to be considered a great 2-way player. He clearly didn't fit with PIT, and he he even admitted that in an interview here. Sounds like he wanted a bigger role, and din't like being a 3rd liner with less ice time. Giving him a chance is clearly a dice-roll. But it's change with a possibility of some scoring.

That's pretty much exactly the kind of move I think Edmonton should be making. Sign anyone with some scoring potential, and see if they can stick. Good move by Ken Holand (if true).

Honestly Brassard, Maroon, Pominville, and Vanek's agents should all be calling the Oilers. There are clearly a couple of spots to fill in our top 6. Where better to come on a one year deal and try boost your UFA value for next year?

 

[Empoleon8771]

Weird fit. Brassard could be a "3rd line C" in some situations, but he really needs to be that guy who plays pseudo #2C type offensive minutes and PP time to be effective. Meanwhile in Edmonton...they've got 3 LH Centers ahead of him essentially. All of whom are decidedly offensively inclined and none of whom are really cut out for any sort of "matchup" role defensively.

Presumably this just solidifies that at least one of Draisaitl/RNH are going to be on the wing most of the time. But you can still only put so many passers on a single Powerplay at any given time...and that's where Brassard is most likely to earn his keep at this point in his career. Yet they've got 3 other centers who are all basically LH shooting offensive players who lean toward the "playmaking" bent, and probably need quality PP time to really thrive and produce up to their capability.

Badly constructed team, continues to be badly constructed i guess. Just weird that Brassard/his agent seem to see Edmonton as his best option/fit.

The powerplay is actually one spot that I think Brassard will be useful, he's more of a goal scorer at this point. His wrist shot is still hard and accurate and he obviously has a great 1-timer, that's something in his game that hasn't fallen off yet.

In this thread:

Pittsburgh fan: “Hey Oiler fan, don’t tell us how good or bad Brassard was last year because he actually played 40 games for us. Now that we’re clear on that, let us tell you how good Lucic was.”

I'm pretty sure there isn't a soul in here that has said Lucic was good, just that Brassard was statistically worse. But I suppose it's easier to just make up strawman arguments instead of actually constructing an argument.

Both suck, that's the point that Penguins fans are making in here. It's not a bad gamble for the Oilers to make to see if he can rebound, but that doesn't change that he was at least a horrid player last year.

 

[CupofOil]

I'm pretty sure there isn't a soul in here that has said Lucic was good, just that Brassard was statistically worse. But I suppose it's easier to just make up strawman arguments instead of actually constructing an argument.

Both suck, that's the point that Penguins fans are making in here.

No, that's not what Pens fans are saying. They are saying that Lucic was better and one poster said that Lucic wasn't a liability defensively which is laughable.

No Oiler fan except for the one poster who was citing his 14 goals as a positive said that Brassard didn't suck last season.
If you guys had simply said that they both sucked last season, there wouldn't be much of an argument.

 

[missinthejets]

I dunno why the focus here is on Lucic, he wasn't even the worst guy the Oilers played in the bottom 6 last year. I didn't watch a lot of Brassard, but I have no doubts he will be an improvement just based on his goal scoring. Oilers bottom 6 was terrible at scoring goals and preventing goals last year. People really don't appreciate how bad it was I think.

 

[K Fleur]

A one year deal is basically no risk. Plus now we all get to see if Brassard can suck for his 4th different team in less than a year.

 

[Curufinwe]

14 goals is quite the low standard.

It's twice as many as the six million dollar man David Backes had last season.

 

[DJB]

The dude is toast. No longer physical , hands have dissapeared.

Oilers fans will soon hate him.

He's terrible.

 

[Empoleon8771]

No, that's not what Pens fans are saying. They are saying that Lucic was better and one poster said that Lucic wasn't a liability defensively which is laughable.

No Oiler fan except for the one poster who was citing his 14 goals as a positive said that Brassard didn't suck last season.

You're focusing on a debate that can be made based on analytics instead of the overarching point, that Brassard is a **** player (or at least was one last year). You're nitpicking a debate that isn't really relevant to the point to try and invalidate the point. You can say all you want that it's laughable to suggest that Lucic was better than Brassard last year, but there is a legitimate analytical argument for it and it's not even the big point of the discussion.

Comparing him to Lucic is to emphasize how bad he is. That's the point of that comparison. Saying "there is a legitimate argument that Lucic was better than Brassard last year" is being said to emphasize that Brassard sucked ass last year.

 

[Oilslick941611]

That was lucic...

you must have missed the memo, now that lucid is not an oiler, he doesn't suck anymore.

 

[qqaz]

Honestly Brassard, Maroon, Pominville, and Vanek's agents should all be calling the Oilers. There are clearly a couple of spots to fill in our top 6. Where better to come on a one year deal and try boost your UFA value for next year?

True story!

The start of a rebuild is supposed to look like this. Reclamation projects, dumpster diving, vet's trying to stay in the league, waiver claims, overseas free agents. It's all just roster turnover.

Brassard is a great reclamation project, and so would the guys you listed. They keep playing, and maybe impress and build up their value. Edmonton fills a jersey, and maybe gets a decent player (or liquidates them at the deadline).

 

[CupofOil]

You're focusing on a debate that can be made based on analytics instead of the overarching point, that Brassard is a **** player (or at least was one last year). You're nitpicking a debate that isn't really relevant to the point to try and invalidate the point. You can say all you want that it's laughable to suggest that Lucic was better than Brassard last year, but there is a legitimate analytical argument for it and it's not even the big point of the discussion.

Comparing him to Lucic is to emphasize how bad he is. That's the point of that comparison. Saying "there is a legitimate argument that Lucic was better than Brassard last year" is being said to emphasize that Brassard sucked ass last year.

You said "Both suck, that's what the Penguins fans are saying here".
All I'm saying is that you guys didn't say that, it's being dishonest saying that Oiler fans are overreacting because that's all Pens fans said.

When you say that Lucic was better than Brassard and that he wasn't a liability defensively to people who have seen the player play a lot more than your fanbase has and have studied every little play he made since he's been under the microscope moreso than anybody else then expect some pushback.

We can agree that they both sucked last season. Saying that Lucic was better? You should expect some disagreement.

 

[Kranix]

He's warshed

 

[Skolman]

You would think the Oilers are bringing him in for 3 X 3 years the way some of you are reacting to this.

Relax, he will be signed for peanuts.

I can't imagine being a Non-Oilers fan and spending this much time talking about this potential signing, which will be low risk.

Embarrassing, and predictable HF.

The fact that you guys have this "potential" signing at 9 pages already is also quite amusing.

Go for a walk, and stop stressing over a low risk potential signing.

 

[joestevens29]

True story!

The start of a rebuild is supposed to look like this. Reclamation projects, dumpster diving, vet's trying to stay in the league, waiver claims, overseas free agents. It's all just roster turnover.

Brassard is a great reclamation project, and so would the guys you listed. They keep playing, and maybe impress and build up their value. Edmonton fills a jersey, and maybe gets a decent player (or liquidates them at the deadline).

I just want bodies to force the guys that we have to take their game to the next level. We have a lot of borderline players from last year as well as new ones signed. These guys need the competition to push each other.

We do also however need a coach that treats guys fairly and allows this healthy competition to actually battle for spots. Something we've lacked in the past at times.

 

[tony d]

Oilers could do worse. Brassard would be a good secondary scorer for them IMO.

 

[McFlash97]

So many bitter anti Oiler narratives on this board lol. Which is funny considering the Oilers have made the playoffs just once in 12 years.

Perhaps they are bitter about 97 playing here or 99 set records here or that we once were a frightening team. It's funny to browse through the boards and see the amount of posts/threads about the Oilers.

 

[tucker3434]

His game has been falling off the past several years, but if he can be had on a 1 year deal, there’s no risk in that.

 

[North Cole]

Lucic was definitely better, believe it or not.

He really wasn't

 

[North Cole]

Spoiler alert: that's what Brassard is too. That's the point people who have actually watched Brassard are making. He's ****ing terrible at this point.

Like for real, the argument Oilers fans have provided for Brassard being better than Lucic is "lol Lucic isn't better than Brassard". Listen to the 3 fanbases that watched him last year that insist he was horrendous last year. You can have PTSD from how bad Lucic was for you, but that doesn't invalidate that Brassard fell off a cliff last year in a similar way that 2017 Lucic did.

Brassard at this point is a player that only offers a goal like every 5 or 6 games and actively hurts you otherwise. He has the offensive talent of Markus Granlund while being a liability away from the puck. That's really sad if that's an upgrade for your team.

So then we're at an impasse. According to you we clearly haven't watched Brassard so we should take your word he's worse. But it's evident, you haven't watched Lucic and you refuse to take our word that he's worse. Why is that not a two way street? Either we take your word that Brassard is worse and you take our word Lucic is worse, or?

Bottom line is that it is an upgrade to our team. Whether it's sad or not has nothing to do with anything, other than dropping a parting shot at us on your way out. It shouldn't be a secret to you that the Oilers are junk, there's a reason we were ecstatic to get James Neal for Lucic. Would you concede that Brassard was better than Neal last year? That should tell you what Lucic was for us.

Once you consider cap implications, it's really not even a discussion that Brassard is an upgrade over Lucic and our other plugs...