Rumor: Pierre McGuire hints at Brassard Trade

[Peat]

Yeah, it's kind of weird after all the drama we went through last year with folks crying about JR not addressing the 3C spot, we now have folks fine with moving on from Brassard without a 3C replacement (and I don't mean a bad 3C replacement like Rowney/McKegg/etc.).

I mean, I'm fine with it because I was happy with Sheahan and was iffy on whether Brassard provided enough of a boost to be worth it. But.. Rutherford did feel that to be true, so why move on?


I guess switch up the question. Say we trade him without getting a 3C back. Who's out there that might do as a replacement? I think I've seen Lowry and Faksa mentioned. I vaguely recall seeing Tierney maybe being tradeable. Good standard pattern model 3Cs, but no more, and of dubious availability...

Let's break it down nice and easy since people seem to be ignoring this.

Pierre McGuire isn't a reliable source. This really, really needs to be emphasized. He's absolutely creditless when it comes to the Penguins.

This is true.

However
a) We have nothing better to talk about
b) Enough people have said Brassard may be in play and that we're looking at a big acquisition that it make sense anyway

 

[PensPlz]

Brassard is a top 6 center, with a tiny cap hit who is playing on our 3rd line.

I wouldn't be opposed to exploiting a team if we got some other needs filled.

I don't see us winning the cup or not being contingent on the difference between Brass and Sheahan playing 3rd line center, when you also weigh the return from Brass.

Just my take.

 

[Rakell67]

I don't doubt Montreal covets Brassard but I also don't think there is much on their roster that helps the Penguins enough to justify a trade. Patches is a good player but I would rather have Skinner.

Could see Brassard as a fit with Vegas. Could get a 3/4 C + back from them.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Pierre McGuire isn't a reliable source. This really, really needs to be emphasized. He's absolutely creditless when it comes to the Penguins.

You haven't heard that one story about how he practically coached the Penguins to a Stanley Cup by himself?!?

He's been on their speed dial ever since. Woulda gotten that head coaching position a few years back too if Mike "Why Am I Here?" Johnston wasn't such a dazzling coaching talent.

 

[PensandCaps]

We have been talking about this all week, I suppose it got buried in the main thread for some of you. McGuire has been saying this for some time now. Pretty consistently.

Yes, we cannot do better than Brassard at $3 million, but that is only going to last one season. And his best attributes get a little bit wasted here because he cannot play on PP1 and we don't seem too interested in using him on the PK.

He doesn't need PP time. 40 of his 46 points were 5v5 last year.

 

[Pens1566]

Ottawa is cheap. They aren't going to retain. So Vegas gives up Picks and prospects for Letang and an ALBATROSS (probably the NHL's worst) contract in Bobby Ryan? They're taking in 15M for 2 players. 1 of which is utter trash.

The Sens are "real money" cheap. This gets them out of paying ~30M to Ryan, and not taking on anything, potentially, significant salary wise.

Vegas and the Sens were talking EK before the deadline and couldn't get it right. Vegas didn't want to give up enough to get him. This way, they give up maybe what they were willing to there (rumored to include Ryan then as well) and get Letang. We add the extra + needed for the Sens to be ok, and Letang, and get EK.

I'm not saying it's going to happen, but with all the deadline rumors around that attempted deal and the rumors now, it's a potential way to make it happen.

 

[Peat]

He doesn't need PP time. 40 of his 46 points were 5v5 last year.

40 points from 3C for 3m would be one of the bargains of the season.

 

[pistolpete11]

I'm not going to complain Brassard is here. He's a heck of a player. But I wanted Pageau instead of Brassard. Sully likes to rely a lot on his bottom 6 centers to handle the defensive load, which you kind of have to when you're giving Crosby and Malkin all of the favorable zone starts and matchups. As good as Brassard is, he's definitely going to take a backseat to those guys. I just don't have as much confidence in Brassard in that defensive role as I would have Pageau or Bonino or Cullen or Sheahan. So to me, you're either going to be wasting Brassard by putting him in more of a defensive role or asking Crosby and Malkin to pick up more of that defensive load. Neither of those are ideal.

So given that he's likely gone after this year anyway and that he most likely holds more value to another team than he does the Pens, I'd be open to moving him. BUT they'd have to find another C that's at least as good as Sheahan for me to be happy with it in the end.

 

[Tom Hanks]

I'm not going to complain Brassard is here. He's a heck of a player. But I wanted Pageau instead of Brassard. Sully likes to rely a lot on his bottom 6 centers to handle the defensive load, which you kind of have to when you're giving Crosby and Malkin all of the favorable zone starts and matchups. As good as Brassard is, he's definitely going to take a backseat to those guys. I just don't have as much confidence in Brassard in that defensive role as I would have Pageau or Bonino or Cullen or Sheahan. So to me, you're either going to be wasting Brassard by putting him in more of a defensive role or asking Crosby and Malkin to pick up more of that defensive load. Neither of those are ideal.

So given that he's likely gone after this year anyway and that he most likely holds more value to another team than he does the Pens, I'd be open to moving him. BUT they'd have to find another C that's at least as good as Sheahan for me to be happy with it in the end.

Brassard still only had 42.5% DZ starts while he was here. Sheahan had 64.8%

Crosby and Malkin were at 41.3% and 34% respectively.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

He doesn't need PP time. 40 of his 46 points were 5v5 last year.

He doesn't need it, but I am fairly sure he wants it. And with his skill set, why wouldn't he? His ONLY shot at playing on the first unit is if Sullivan channels his inner-Hlinka and plays five forwards.

 

[pistolpete11]

Brassard still only had 42.5% DZ starts while he was here. Sheahan had 64.8%

Crosby and Malkin were at 41.3% and 34% respectively.

What were Crosby and Malkin's with Brassard in the lineup?

 

[PensandCaps]

He doesn't need it, but I am fairly sure he wants it. And with his skill set, why wouldn't he? His ONLY shot at playing on the first unit is if Sullivan channels his inner-Hlinka and plays five forwards.

Who cares what he wants?

He clearly produces very well at even strength and doesn't need PP time at all.

 

[3074326]

You haven't heard that one story about how he practically coached the Penguins to a Stanley Cup by himself?!?

He's been on their speed dial ever since. Woulda gotten that head coaching position a few years back too if Mike "Why Am I Here?" Johnston wasn't such a dazzling coaching talent.

Heck, they should have just hired Pierre. Couldn't have gone much worse.

 

[DeadPuckEra]

Who cares what he wants?

He clearly produces very well at even strength and doesn't need PP time at all.

Everybody needs PP time.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Heck, they should have just hired Pierre. Couldn't have gone much worse.

In retrospect they would have been better off just letting one of Pascal Dupuis' ten children run the bench.

 

[Peat]

What were Crosby and Malkin's with Brassard in the lineup?

POs

64.71 - Geno
56.41 - Sid
50.77 - Brass
37.04 - Sheahan

Not unlike 15-16, just with a bit more confusion over 3C/4C due to Brassard's injury/not quite gelling with Phil.

 

[Pens x]

Ughhh, we better not trade Brassard and force Phil to rot playing with Sheahan all season.

 

[Turin]

You haven't heard that one story about how he practically coached the Penguins to a Stanley Cup by himself?!?

He's been on their speed dial ever since. Woulda gotten that head coaching position a few years back too if Mike "Why Am I Here?" Johnston wasn't such a dazzling coaching talent.

He wasn’t interviews for coaching, he was interviewed for GM.. and he almost got it.

 

[pistolpete11]

POs

64.71 - Geno
56.41 - Sid
50.77 - Brass
37.04 - Sheahan

Not unlike 15-16, just with a bit more confusion over 3C/4C due to Brassard's injury/not quite gelling with Phil.

I guess it's possible that they are just that good of a possession team with Brassard (like they were in 15-16), but compared to 16-17 playoffs:

67.98 - Malkin
56.69 - Crosby
27.64 - Bonino
16.81 - Cullen

I would not feel comfortable giving those starts to Brassard. Not having Letang in that playoffs certainly effects that, but while not as extreme, the regular season followed a similar trend. Bonino (43%) and Cullen (36%).

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

He wasn’t interviews for coaching, he was interviewed for GM.. and he almost got it.

Ah that's right, of course.

A potential Pierre/Johnston dream team.

What could have been.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Remember when Doug MacLean interviewed for the head-coaching gig?

 

[CrosbyMalkin]

He doesn't need PP time. 40 of his 46 points were 5v5 last year.

Also the Pens distribute the PP time fairly even between the 2 units. I can't remember many times that the first unit stayed out more than around a minute. It did happen but certainly the norm was come off after a minute. Plus the second PP will be loaded anyways with most likely either Schultz or Letang, Brassard, Guentzel, Sprong, and Johnson is a really good PP unit and matches some teams top units. I think Brassard would get plenty of quality minutes with this team because the 3rd line will still have very good talent on it. I would start with Rust-Brassard-Sprong.

What I really want to see is the Pens to get Skinner. That player is a top tier goal scorer with 3 30+ goal seasons on a low scoring team. Also one of the best even strength goal scorers in the league during the 8 years he has been in the league. I would give up a 1st and Sprong for him even with him being a one year rental. If the trade went through on Sunday the Pens could negotiate a longer term deal with Skinner then we have a 26 year old that is one of the best goal scoring wingers over his 8 years in the NHL. That would make it an easy deal to give up a top prospect and a 1st. The good thing is it sounds almost like the Kessel situation in that he has given them a very limited number of teams to trade with so they don't have much leverage. The Pens lines would be insane and I would role the top 3 lines out with very little 4th line time because we would have 3 legit number 1 lines. I think Skinner would be unstoppable on this team with other teams top 4 D pairings having to worry about a Malkin and Crosby line. I can't see 3rd pairing defenseman able to control a Skinner-Brassard-Rust line. Talk about HBK and the Cooke-Staal-Kennedy 3rd lines of past Cup winners. That 3rd line would blow those both out of the water. The tough part would be getting you PK forwards out of that group?! (Hagelin, Rust, Sheahan, ?) Those first 3 are all stud PK's but we might have to have a PK specialist for that 4th line winger spot.

Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist
Hagelin-Malkin-Kessel
Skinner-Brassard-Rust
Aston-Reese-Sheahan-Simon

PP Unit 1: Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Hornqvist, Letang/Schultz
PP Unit 2: Skinner, Guentzel, Brassard, Johnson, Letang/Schultz

I can't see trading Brassard unless we are making multiple moves which I don't think is necessary. This team still has the makings up a Cup champ and lost to the eventual winner in OT with goalie not at his best and Brassard and Kessel not at normal levels either. I would take my chances again this season even without any big moves. I just hope JR is after that Skinner trade.

 

[The Old Master]

Ughhh, we better not trade Brassard and force Phil to rot playing with Sheahan all season.

they played well together.

 

[Shady Machine]

How about we just keep him? It’s gotra be an absurd overpayment for me to be comfortable trading him.

 

[Sideline]

How about we just keep him? It’s gotra be an absurd overpayment for me to be comfortable trading him.

Considering Antoine Rousell seems to be getting $3MM per year from Vancouver it better be a king's ransom for me to move Brassard.