Derick Brassard Leads New York Rangers
When talking about the New York Rangers most people mention Henrik Lundqvist, Rick Nash, Ryan McDonagh and Marty St. Louis. All of whom deserve to be mentioned. But, if this past season is any indication, people should start talking about Derick Brassard.
Brassard has molded into a leader both on and off the ice. How? He leads by example. During the regular season, Brassard was second on the team in scoring with 60 points—only nine points behind Nash. He recorded 19 goals and 41 assists, with six power-play goals. Brassard, who centers the Rangers’ top line, has continued his success throughout the playoffs.
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Unlike Nash and St. Louis, Brassard has showed up. He and Nash have the same amount of points (five), but the difference is Brassard has found the back of the net four times, while Nash has only one goal. It isn’t just his ability to score, but also his vision and passing skills that make him a great player. Brassard creates offensive opportunities for the Rangers. He is a key component to the power play, even though that isn’t really something to brag about as the PP has been awful; but he makes it better.
Brassard is who the Rangers will have to look to if they want to win. Nash is still not finding his way, even though he was more noticeable in Game 2, St. Louis has two measly points in seven playoffs games, and Mats Zuccarello is sidelined. While the Rangers have a lot of depth, the team’s other lines consist of younger players. They need a leader and that leader is Brassard. He shows them how to play.
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He rarely takes stupid penalties, makes things happen and does not back down when challenged. Although most players in the NHL would wipe the floor with him, Brassard will stand up for himself and his teammates. It is that emotion that makes him great.
Brassard plays with passion. If you talk to any player in the NHL he will tell you that he wants the Cup. Well, Brassard does one better by showing you. He keeps his emotions at the surface and uses them to his advantage. It is what drives him and what makes him an offensive threat. He wants the Cup so much that he can practically taste it. And I don’t know if I would want to be the player standing in his way.
The Rangers need to learn from Brassard and put more emotion into their game. They need to play with an edge, with a desire and fight. New York is not a very high-scoring team, like some of the other teams in the playoffs, so they need to outwork their opponents to win.
Brassard is the consistency the entire team needs to find. He thrives under pressure and if the rest of the Rangers follow his lead, they might be in pretty good shape.