Former Penguins veteran who played 1,013 NHL games comes out of retirement and signs new contract

Longtime NHL center Derick Brassard is coming out of retirement, signing with Genève-Servette of Switzerland's National League for the rest of the season, first reported by Nicolas St-Pierre of the "Dans le Vestiaire" podcast.

Brassard, 38, last played for the Ottawa Senators in 2022-23, suffering a late-season ankle ligament injury. After attempting a comeback as a free agent in 2023-24, he retired after sitting out the year.

Drafted sixth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2006, Brassard played more than 1,000 NHL games.

He became a top second-line center and occasional first-line contributor with the New York Rangers after a 2013 trade that sent Marian Gaborik to Columbus.

In 2016, the Rangers traded Brassard to Ottawa for Mika Zibanejad, a move followed by a drop in his point production.

After Ottawa, Brassard joined the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2018 trade deadline, beginning a five-season run that included stops with the Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Edmonton Oilers. He returned to Ottawa to close his NHL career.

The Quebec native will play international hockey for only the second time, after appearing in six games for Austria's EC Salzburg during the 2012 lockout, recording four goals and an assist.

At Genève-Servette, Brassard joins a roster with over 2,200 NHL games of experience, including Jimmy Vesey, Jan Rutta, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Markus Granlund.

The team expects Brassard to provide veteran leadership and scoring depth for the remainder of the season.