Derick Brassard's Solid Start an Unexpected Bonus for Derek Stepan-Less Rangers

The New York Rangers re-signed 27-year-old pivot Derick Brassard to a five-year, $25 million deal this summer because team brass was confident in his abilities as a second-line center. The former Columbus Blue Jackets center was at the end of his contract and one deal away from free agency, but he made the choice to sign a long-term deal with the team that traded for him and made him comfortable.

It was a move that made tons of sense, because $5 million is a bargain rate for a center of Brassard's caliber when he is on his game, and he slots in nicely behind the Rangers' No. 1 center, Derek Stepan. It sounded like a true fairytale story for both the Blueshirts and Brassard, but everything changed when Stepan came down with an unexpected injury.

Stepan fractured his fibula during a conditioning drill in training camp, and it was announced that he'd miss four to six weeks. At this point there was a healthy dose of fear, because Brassard was going to have to step up whether he was ready or not. Through 11 games, it is safe to say that not only has Brassard exceeded expectations, but his overall production has been a bonus for the Stepan-less Rangers.

Brassard has tallied four goals and assisted on five others for nine points in 11 games. He currently has the second-highest goals-per-game average of his career to date and is averaging an astonishing 0.81 points per game. That may seem like a number that isn't worth getting excited about, but it is a big deal for Brassard.

Heading into the season, the Rangers knew that players on the roster would have to step up, and Brassard was going to have to be one of them.

After Brad Richards was bought out, it was clear that Brassard was going to have to elevate his game and at least attempt to replicate what the Rangers' former alternate captain produced offensively. Although Richards' production declined in New York, he still contributed valuable points to the team's offense.

Richards tallied 51 points in 82 games during the Blueshirts' 2013-14 campaign, so that means that at the very least Brassard would need to produce at a clip of 0.62 points per game. For Brassard, that's a tall order; he's only eclipsed or tied that mark once during a full regular season.

Tom Urtz Jr.

During Brassard's 31-game 2008-09 season, he tallied 0.81 points per game. He tallied 0.64 points per game during a 74-game campaign in 2010-11 and averaged 0.62 points per game during the lockout-shortened season of 2012-13.

If that wasn't hard enough, Stepan's injury then made Brassard the de facto No. 1 center, and it put him in a position in which he would have to maintain Stepan's points-per-game average of 0.67, or 0.05 higher than Richards' production last season. The differential equates to four points over 82 games, and that is a big difference.

To date, Brassard's 0.81 points-per-game average has met that requirement, but he has made some other unexpected contributions, including an improved defensive element to his style of play.

One of the biggest new facets of Brassard's game is killing penalties. So far this season, Brassard is averaging 46 seconds a game on the penalty kill, and he is getting more time each and every game he plays.

For context, that figure ranks second only to Dominic Moore amongst Ranger centers. Moore has been shouldering a solid portion of the load, but Brassard has been able to kill off penalties in spurts so far this season.

While Brassard's 46 seconds a game on the PK may seem low, he only averaged one second a game on the penalty kill during the 2013-14 season. With Stepan sidelined, the Rangers needed a center to step up, and Brassard has done a marvelous job in that regard.

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When Stepan gets back in the lineup, he will return to that role, but Brassard's new skill will come in handy for the Rangers going forward.

Another skill that will benefit the Rangers is Brassard's newfound prowess at the faceoff dot. Last season, Brassard won only 48 percent of his faceoffs, which placed him fourth on the team among centers who took at least 500 draws. Stepan only won 45.2 of his faceoffs.

This season, Brassard has taken 217 faceoffs, and he's won 56.7 percent of them. Brassard's 8.7 percent surge at the dot has been very impressive, especially when you consider his career average at the dot is 48.5 percent. With his effectiveness in winning draws, it has led to the Rangers having the puck in their zone more when the top line is on the ice, and in time, that will help increase scoring.

No matter how you slice it, Brassard has easily been one of the Rangers' biggest surprises early on in 2014-15. Rick Nash's hot start in terms of goal scoring is great, but the development of Brassard's all-around game has been impressive when you consider he is entering a point in his career in which most players tail off.

He's having a great year offensively, he's improved at the dot and he's added penalty-killing skills to his game. There's isn't much more you could ask from Brassard, except for him to do something he hasn't been able to do for the majority of his career.

Consistency has plagued Brassard his entire career, so it will be interesting to see what he is doing 10 to 15 games from now. With Stepan set to return to the lineup in the next week or so, Brassard will have some pressure taken off his shoulders.

The Rangers didn't know exactly what they were getting when they acquired Brassard in a blockbuster that dealt Marian Gaborik to Columbus, but it is safe to say that as of this date, the Rangers are very happy to have him wearing their jersey.

Stats in this column are via NHL.com and Hockey-Reference.com.