Derick Brassard: 'Being a Ranger was special to me'

It must have been a chaotic 24 past hours for Derick Brassard. I'd imagine it's easier to be traded in the off-season, when you have more time to focus properly on relocating your entire life, but it still can't be easy - especially when you're moving to a completely different city (country, even, although at least Brassard is Canadian).

Jeff Gorton and others tried calling Brassard first, but couldn't reach him. So first message he saw about trade was from St. Louis.

— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) July 18, 2016

He's got that much more on his plate this off-season now - but he's found the time to say goodbye to his team of the past three years, the New York Rangers.

I want to thank the NY Rangers for giving me the opportunity to play the game I love in one of the best cities in the world. Being a Ranger was special to me, it's a first class organization in every way. I want to wish management, my coaches, teammates and especially the incredible fans all the best in the future. As for Ottawa, I'm coming home. I've always dreamed of one day playing for the Ottawa Senators and can't wait to get started. I'm looking forward to helping the Senators any way I can to get back into the playoffs and beyond.

A photo posted by Derick Brassard (@brassardderick) on Jul 19, 2016 at 10:32am PDT

Farewell, Brass - he leaves us two points shy of back-to-back 60 point seasons, having been one of the Rangers' top scorers during his time here. What a fitting picture to choose as his time as a Ranger officially comes to an end.