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Derick Brassard News & Rumors

Reality check: Derick Brassard and the Maple Leafs trade rumour of the day
February 14
Toronto Star
 
"With the Columbus Blue Jackets 24 points out of the playoffs, will the fire sale soon begin? If yes, putting aside underperforming stars such as Jeff Carter and Rick Nash for the moment, one player, who could interest the Maple Leafs is centre Derick Brassard. The 24-year-old former first-round draft pick (6th overall in 2006) has tons of potential but for one reason or another, he's never become that big-time scorer that many thought he'd become. At times he's been very inconsistent to the point where he's been occasionally regulated to the press box. But the 6-foot-1, 200 pound forward certainly has the offensive skill to provide Leafs with another offensive weapon that would let them"
Brassard's fight impresses coach
February 2
Columbus Dispatch
 
"Blue Jackets center Derick Brassard wasn't thinking clearly. Late in a 6-0 loss Tuesday night at San Jose, Brassard was driven into the end boards by Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle, who then barked at him to "get up," a suggestion that Brassard was embellishing the hit. What followed wasn't pretty. Brassard and Boyle dropped their gloves, and Boyle proceeded to whale away on Brassard as he buckled to his knees. "If anybody thinks I was fighting because I expected to win the fight, no," Brassard said. "I answer the bell. … I was frustrated. It was 6-0 and that's how I responded.""
Three have come alive since firing
January 16
Columbus Dispatch
 
"The minor surge in the production of three principal Blue Jackets has in part coincided with a midseason coaching change. Forwards Rick Nash, Derick Brassard and Antoine Vermette have perked up in recent days, but Nash said it is unclear what impact a potential turnaround might have on a last-place team bracing for more changes. "It's a really tough situation, and it's tough to set long-term goals because you really don't know what's going on right now," Nash said. "We just want to play as well as we can for the fans, the city, for the organization and for ourselves, as well.""
Brassard gets his shot with Huselius injured
December 9
Columbus Dispatch
 
"Derick Brassard skated as a top-six forward for the Blue Jackets in last night's 4-3 overtime loss to Nashville, two nights after sitting through his eighth healthy scratch in the past 12 games. Brassard returned to the power play and played a hybrid role on a line with Antoine Vermette and Ryan Johansen. Vermette took the faceoffs, but Brassard centered the line during play. "I know he hasn't been happy with how his ice time has been going of late," coach Scott Arniel said. "You know what? We're doing what's best for the team. Right now, we feel Derick can help us.""
In-Depth: C
August 27
Columbus Dispatch
 
"For years, the Blue Jackets have lamented their lack of skill, scoring and depth at center ice. Third line talent has been used in first- and second-line roles. Young talent has been hurried to the show before they've earned it. The names Jan Hrdina and Kris Beech still send shivers down the spines of the club's most ardent fans. Those days may be done. The blockbuster trade for Jeff Carter this past June, and the drafting of Ryan Johansen the previous June, should finally signal that the Blue Jackets' own Grand Canyon has finally been back-filled. Earlier this week, Puck-rakers began a position-by-position look at how the Blue Jackets will likely look at the start of the 2011-12 season."
Injured Brassard cleared to return
March 9
Columbus Dispatch
 
"Two years ago, injured Blue Jackets center Derick Brassard could not return to the lineup in time to help save his club from Stanley Cup playoff elimination against Detroit. This year, with the Jackets' postseason hopes flickering, Brassard said he wants to try to make a difference before it's too late again. The playmaking center, out three weeks because of a left-hand injury, has been cleared to play and will be a game-time decision tonight against the St. Louis Blues in Nationwide Arena. Brassard participated in a full practice yesterday for the first time since being struck by a Jan Hejda slap shot in the opening seconds of a Feb.16 game against Los Angeles."
Absence of Brassard catches up to offense
March 6
Columbus Dispatch
 
"Blue Jackets center Derick Brassard has been alongside his teammates for a disheartening five-game trip. He has chatted with them, dined with them, practiced with them. He has done everything but what they needed most - play in the games. The absence of the team's top center, out because of a bruised left hand, has grown in magnitude as the losses have mounted. Columbus has averaged just two goals in the past four games and his usual linemates, Rick Nash and Jake Voracek, have a combined one assist. "He's such an important part of the team, but injuries give opportunities to other guys," Nash said. "And we've had guys step up and help us." The Jackets went 3-0-1 in the first four games"
Blue Jackets lose Brassard to hand injury
February 17
Columbus Dispatch
 
"Derick Brassard, the Blue Jackets' No. 1 center, was lost to injury on his first shift of the game, before one minute had expired. R.J. Umberger, the club's second-line winger and unquestioned emotional leader, limped to the dressing room with about six minutes left in the period. The Blue Jackets' season would have flashed before their eyes if they weren't so busy trying to fill two holes in their top six. What followed in the final 45 minutes was nothing less than harrowing drama in Nationwide Arena, certainly one of the gutsiest performances the Blue Jackets have ever put forth at this point of the season, with so much on the line. "We were running with nine forwards for half of the"
Brassard explains owner remark
November 3
Columbus Dispatch
 
"Blue Jackets center Derick Brassard was awash with contrition, remorse and a tinge of anger yesterday, the morning after he gave a controversial interview to a Montreal radio station. "I didn't express myself well," Brassard said, "and the Montreal media they tried to get a headline (out) of me." The two most pointed questions posed by CKAC radio host Michel Bergeron regarded majority owner John P. McConnell's interest in hockey and the Blue Jackets' low attendance this season. Bergeron was trying to make a case that the Blue Jackets should be relocated to Quebec City. Brassard said he wasn't sure if McConnell, like his late father and Blue Jackets founder John H. McConnell, was a hardcore"
Brassard struggles in season of big expectations
March 25
Columbus Dispatch
 
"So much was expected of Blue Jackets center Derick Brassard this season. After years with a gaping hole in the lineup next to franchise winger Rick Nash, Brassard's immeasurable skill was expected to lift Nash and the Blue Jackets to unforeseen heights. But in many ways, Brassard's season has mirrored that of the Blue Jackets: It started strong, fell on hard times and ultimately fell apart, with a late push for a strong finish under interim coach Claude Noel. Those great expectations? They've been delayed a year. "I know what the expectations were, mostly because of the way I played last year, but I didn't expect anything (this season)," Brassard said. "Last year, everything was going in"
Veteran started out like Brassard
January 14
Columbus Dispatch
 
"Derick Brassard is a top-six talent stuck in a fourth-line role these days with the Blue Jackets. Frustration and confusion are part of his daily routine, it seems, as he seeks the trust of coach Ken Hitchcock. "I can't think about my ice time," Brassard said, "or I just get (angry) and rattled." One of the players who can best empathize with Brassard's situation will suit up down the hall tonight when the Blue Jackets play the Chicago Blackhawks tonight in the United Center. Center Patrick Sharp, now one of the top offensive threats on the high-flying Blackhawks, spent three seasons in the mid-2000s trying to convince the Philadelphia Flyers that he was a full-fledged NHL talent."
Hitchcock to go with youth
January 5
Columbus Dispatch
 
"Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said yesterday that he has been committed to playing his young skill players regardless of the price. "We've got a plan and we're willing to stick with it," Hitchcock said. "And if it costs me my job then it costs me my job, but there is a plan." The coach and his team have lost 20 of the past 23 games, and questions regarding his future with the organization grow louder with each defeat. Hitchcock has drawn criticism for his handling of youngsters such as center Derick Brassard, 22, and Nikita Filatov, 19, who returned to Russia in November unhappy with his playing time. But yesterday Hitchcock defended the way he has played the likes of Brassard and Jake"
Jackets' nemesis is Boll's best bud
December 23
Columbus Dispatch
 
"Blue Jackets forward Jared Boll has fought many of the NHL's top enforcers, having run a gauntlet of goons including George Parros, Donald Brashear and Boll's own bare-knuckled mentor, Jody Shelley. But no potential confrontation, whether he drops the gloves or not, has troubled Boll more than the one that could take place tonight in Dallas. The opponent, James Neal, is the Stars' leading goal scorer, a player with as many NHL fighting majors as Jackets skilled center Derick Brassard. In fact, his only fight came against Brassard a year ago and carried season-ending consequences. Neal has become a Jackets nemesis, a status he cemented with a Nov. 19 hit from behind on winger Derek Dorsett,"
Jackets' woes continue with road loss to Coyotes
December 22
Columbus Dispatch
 
"No amount of talking will get the Blue Jackets out of a rut this deep. Not even a heart-to-heart among players. The Blue Jackets followed a familiar script tonight against the Phoenix Coyotes: they fell behind early, saved face with a respectable effort the rest of the way, and lost 5-2 before 9,348 in Jobing.com Arena. "It's tough right now, no doubt about it," Blue Jackets center Antoine Vermette said. "We're not playing very well right now, but we're not getting any bounces. It doesn't matter who we play. "We have to dig down. We have to dig down deep if we're going to get out of this." The ugly numbers continue to mount. The Blue Jackets have lost seven in a row overall, nine straight"
Nightmare streak continues with loss
December 22
Columbus Dispatch
 
"No amount of talking will get the Blue Jackets out of a rut this deep. Not even a heart-to-heart among players. The Blue Jackets followed a familiar script last night against the Phoenix Coyotes: They fell behind early, saved face with a respectable effort the rest of the way and lost 5-2 before 9,348 in Jobing.com Arena. "It's tough right now, no doubt about it," Blue Jackets center Antoine Vermette said. "We're not playing very well, but we're not getting any bounces. It doesn't matter who we play. We have to dig down. We have to dig down deep if we're going to get out of this." The ugly numbers continue to mount. The Blue Jackets have lost seven in a row overall, nine straight on the"