The Ottawa Senators announced that they have signed defenseman Erik Brannstrom to a one-year deal worth $2 million. While Brannstrom never reached the expectations placed upon him after being acquired as the centerpiece of the Mark Stone trade, he has still become quite a valuable asset to the Senators.
After recording 14 points in 53 games during the 2021-22 season, Brannstrom’s development path took a bit of a turn last season. He was once regarded as a top offensive defenseman prospect and since then has had to adapt to stick in the lineup. While he still has some great offensive abilities, he has become a much more well-rounded defenseman for the Senators. He has spent time on the penalty kill, which is huge progress for him.
It is hard to find offense when playing behind Thomas Chabot, Jakob Chychrun and Jake Sanderson in the lineup, but Brannstrom still found a way. He excelled when the team was faced with injuries and he was given a bigger role, but even as a depth option, he was finding his own way to be valuable. The expectation is that Brannstrom will be playing on the third pair with either Travis Hamonic if he is re-signed, or one of the Senators’ prospects in Tyler Kleven, Jacob Bernard-Docker or Lassi Thomson.
Brannstrom’s Size Causes a Divide Among Fans
While Brannstrom has certainly improved his defensive game, one thing you can’t teach is size. For Brannstrom, he only comes in at 5-foot-10 and isn’t very physical. He had shown at times that he is capable of laying a hit and isn’t afraid of using his body, but it is especially noticeable in front of the net when he is battling for positioning and can’t get around a bigger winger in front of the net.
Related: THW’s Free Agency Tracker
There are plenty of smaller defensemen with successful NHL careers, and there is no knock against Brannstrom’s talents; the only question is about the fit. The Senators have a lot of offensive-minded defenders and with that the team needs physical depth to balance it out. Brannstrom is just fine there, especially if Kleven or Hamonic are on his pairing.
Power-play time is hard to come across for a defenseman in Ottawa right now, and while Brannstrom has proven that he thrives in a bigger role, there just isn’t room. There is no issue with having him play the way he has been, though many just look at the point totals and say he is underperforming. The way he has developed into a strong two-way defenseman is perfect for this team, and while head coach DJ Smith likes his physicality, he has openly defended Brannstrom’s play last season, and he fits well with the way the team plays.
This contract tells a little bit about what the Senators are planning for his future. I think it was a possibility that they could have gotten more term in the same range for per-season value, but there is some question about how committed they are to the player, as they have a lot of defensive prospects climbing the ranks to challenge for bottom-pairing minutes.
