Player Discussion Erik Brännström - D - Part III
- Thread starter AchtzehnBaby
- Start date
I can help but see Branny as a focal point during a playoff series.
He just doesn’t have the upside in other areas of his game to compensate for being unable to consistently battle effectively with bigger players that will target him in a series.
He isn’t good enough to take a top 4 spot that will see him play against offensive players either, which leaves him exposed to the grinders.
Nice player, but just not a fit for a third pairing that is built for playoff series competition, which should be the goal.
He is solid depth for the regular season. I do like him, I just don’t see the fit in terms of lofty goals of playoff hockey.
Could be wrong though, Branny is a battler so if he stays I’ll be pulling for him as always.
He just doesn’t have the upside in other areas of his game to compensate for being unable to consistently battle effectively with bigger players that will target him in a series.
He isn’t good enough to take a top 4 spot that will see him play against offensive players either, which leaves him exposed to the grinders.
Nice player, but just not a fit for a third pairing that is built for playoff series competition, which should be the goal.
He is solid depth for the regular season. I do like him, I just don’t see the fit in terms of lofty goals of playoff hockey.
Could be wrong though, Branny is a battler so if he stays I’ll be pulling for him as always.
JackieDaytona
regular human hockey fan.
- Oct 21, 2007
- 1,481
- 1,328
Brannstrom keeps proving season after season that he belongs in this league. But I do agree he’s not going to be a fit for this team moving forward given the makeup of the rest of our d corps.
He would be great on a team that has lots of size and physical, defense first players in their top 4, and are looking for pmd and pp2 qb on their 3rd pairing. Teams that have that need and can slot him in that role will be quite happy with Branny imo.
He would be great on a team that has lots of size and physical, defense first players in their top 4, and are looking for pmd and pp2 qb on their 3rd pairing. Teams that have that need and can slot him in that role will be quite happy with Branny imo.
Alf Silfversson
Registered User
- Jun 8, 2011
- 5,792
- 4,860
That seems to be the case right now but if move out Chychrun and bring in a defensive top 4 RD then the dynamic of our D changes.
Brannstrom would no longer be killing penalties (providing that Kleven can fit the bill). And he might even get some PP time with Chych gone.
Matt Roy would be ideal IMO.
Sanderson - Zub
Chabot - Roy
Brannstrom - Kleven - JBD
Hamonic
PP1 - Sanderson
PP2 - Chabot or Chabot-Brannstrom depending on how the new coach wants to run things.
PK1 - Sanderson-Zub
PK2 - Kleven - Roy (Brann or JBD can fill in here too).
To me that's not a cup contender D but it is playoff worthy.
Kleven is an LD, we really don’t want to force guys to play out of position if we’re trying to build the best playoff D corp and we have room and time to build. If Kleven was a natural RD then we could maybe explore it, but unfortunately Bran and Kleven are vying for the same roster spot.That seems to be the case right now but if move out Chychrun and bring in a defensive top 4 RD then the dynamic of our D changes.
Brannstrom would no longer be killing penalties (providing that Kleven can fit the bill). And he might even get some PP time with Chych gone.
Matt Roy would be ideal IMO.
Sanderson - Zub
Chabot - Roy
Brannstrom - Kleven - JBD
Hamonic
PP1 - Sanderson
PP2 - Chabot or Chabot-Brannstrom depending on how the new coach wants to run things.
PK1 - Sanderson-Zub
PK2 - Kleven - Roy (Brann or JBD can fill in here too).
To me that's not a cup contender D but it is playoff worthy.
Alf Silfversson
Registered User
- Jun 8, 2011
- 5,792
- 4,860
They played pretty well as a pair. Brannstrom did fine as a RD.
I personally don't think Kleven is foolproof as a full time NHLer yet. So there would be, IMO, some games where he sits and learns from the pressbox, some games where he or Brann are injured and some games where Brannstrom plays RD.
I'm not saying it's going to happen but if it does it's so far from our biggest issue that I'd be fine with it.
One of my biggest complaints with DJ is him wanting Brannchise on the LD because he doesn't like having defenders play their offhand. Brannstrom played LD in junior and international.
Move the manz to RD and watch him dominate.
Golden_Jet
Registered User
- Sep 21, 2005
- 22,826
- 11,145
So he never played RD until the Sens.
Best move for Branny is on another team probably.
Senator Stanley
Registered User
He's never been given a chance to prove that, but it's not like he's the reason the team isn't good. He's an NHL defenceman, and I don't see why he can't play a role when the team is better.
At the end of the day, it's a never ending conversation. Some people are never going to want a small defenceman on the third pair (or, in some cases, on their team at all), while others recognize that his size is a deficiency but are willing to look past that because of (a) the things he does well and the value he does provide and (b) the deficiencies of the likely alternatives (see Travis Hamonic or any of the long string of big, shitty defenceman who've played for this team in recent years).
The Devilish Buffoon
🇵🇸 viva 🇵🇸 free 🇵🇸
- Dec 24, 2018
- 12,191
- 10,974
Senator Stanley
Registered User
What I'm describing are the two basic sides of an argument that's been going on for 139 pages and counting. Some people will never accept him because of his size while some others will.
But yes, within the "other people who will accept him" group there's certainly debate over the context in which he actually makes sense.
The Devilish Buffoon
🇵🇸 viva 🇵🇸 free 🇵🇸
- Dec 24, 2018
- 12,191
- 10,974
Yeah I was just adding that context. There is a lot of room between those two sides, which is where actual interesting discussion might happen
Yeah I hear you for sure. I don’t mind the depth, and as you say Kleven has lots to prove, but he is the ‘type’ of D that I want on the bottom pair.
I like Bran’s heart, I’m definitely not pitchforks out on getting rid of him.
I tend to agree with you on this. It’s not really about Bran’s size to me, it’s that he is the third guy on the left side who is not physical and unable to really box out big forwards or be punishing at all.
Add that both Sandy and Chabby are better at what they are good at and it just makes it a tough fit. I agree that there is a place for him in the league, and while he would be a nice depth player for us, it’s doubtful that he wants to choose that path right now.
One of several tough decisions for Steve
Xspyrit
DJ Dorion
The talk about Brannstrom is one of the most irrational discussions around, like if the guy wasn't proven or clearly good enough to play in this league.
I think they'll keep him (if they trade Chychrun) but if not, you will see another team grabbing him really fast to have him patrol their 3rd pairing and make their team better. Of course, they would probably already have a guy with size and physicality to pair him with and not Josh Brown or Travis Hamonic lol
In Ottawa, he's stuck behind some more important guys but when called upon, he has proven he could do really well in a bigger role.
Among 271 D-men with a least 500 mins at ES since 2022-23 :
CF/60 : 67th
CA/60 : 60th
SF/60 : 71st
SA/60 : 38th
GF/60 : 170th
GA/60 : 63rd
xGF/60 : 58th
xGA/60 : 54th
Points/60 : 85th
Assists/60 : 61st
ixG/60 : 104th
Takeaways/60 : 57th
I don't know what people expect but he did pretty well with the role he's been given and probably even better when he had more responsibility. Brannstrom is a clearly a NHL player and a quality one. He's still 24 y/o and has already 266 NHL games. Based on the talks so far, he could become a very under the radar 1000 games player
The "he's not big enough for the playoffs" talk is silly when you haven't sniffed the playoffs for 7 years. What the Sens need is a tough guy to play with Chabot, like Karlsson did, he also need his own Methot. Having that guy would make Chabot much more efficient
Sanderson - Zub
Chabot - RHD
Kleven - Brannstrom
JBD
Brannstrom is very versatile and can play pretty much everywhere except Center and in goal. Use Chyhrun to get a good top-9 forward and pick(s). The defense above is very good assuming the coaching in place have them playing the right way
I think they'll keep him (if they trade Chychrun) but if not, you will see another team grabbing him really fast to have him patrol their 3rd pairing and make their team better. Of course, they would probably already have a guy with size and physicality to pair him with and not Josh Brown or Travis Hamonic lol
In Ottawa, he's stuck behind some more important guys but when called upon, he has proven he could do really well in a bigger role.
Among 271 D-men with a least 500 mins at ES since 2022-23 :
CF/60 : 67th
CA/60 : 60th
SF/60 : 71st
SA/60 : 38th
GF/60 : 170th
GA/60 : 63rd
xGF/60 : 58th
xGA/60 : 54th
Points/60 : 85th
Assists/60 : 61st
ixG/60 : 104th
Takeaways/60 : 57th
I don't know what people expect but he did pretty well with the role he's been given and probably even better when he had more responsibility. Brannstrom is a clearly a NHL player and a quality one. He's still 24 y/o and has already 266 NHL games. Based on the talks so far, he could become a very under the radar 1000 games player
The "he's not big enough for the playoffs" talk is silly when you haven't sniffed the playoffs for 7 years. What the Sens need is a tough guy to play with Chabot, like Karlsson did, he also need his own Methot. Having that guy would make Chabot much more efficient
Sanderson - Zub
Chabot - RHD
Kleven - Brannstrom
JBD
Brannstrom is very versatile and can play pretty much everywhere except Center and in goal. Use Chyhrun to get a good top-9 forward and pick(s). The defense above is very good assuming the coaching in place have them playing the right way
Last edited:
It's really crazy how the coaching staffs don't seem to see what you see. His average time on ice per game, under Martin, increased by 40 seconds. So, under a different coach, his ice time basically stayed the same (1 extra shift per game).
He plays significantly fewer minutes per game than all of Sanderson, Chabot, Chychrun and Zub. If he's such a quality NHLer, why isn't he more in line with their time on ice? I mean, if he can really "make [a] team better" then why is he relegated to playing almost 5 minutes less per game than the next closest defenseman? Wouldn't a guy who plays himself into opportunity get that chance? Especially on a team that saw Chabot miss 21 games this year?
Also, none of the stats you presented take into account quality of competition or deployment. Hard to say if those numbers are good if he's starting in the offensive zone a ton and lining up against 4th liners.
Xspyrit
DJ Dorion
Not sure why you're telling me all that when I said "In Ottawa, he's stuck behind some more important guys"... right from the start, your post is on the wrong tangent, which makes it very hard to have a rational discussion, like I was talking about. Not really interested in discussing non-rational things here
BoardsofCanada
Registered User
There's always injuries. We'd be stupid to give him away. If we can package him for an upgrade, then great. Otherwise, we should just keep him on our roster. The issues to address this off season are goaltending, the bottom 6 forwards, and hiring the right coach. Brannstrom is not the problem IMO.
Golden_Jet
Registered User
- Sep 21, 2005
- 22,826
- 11,145
Micklebot
Moderator
- Apr 27, 2010
- 53,854
- 31,069
How exactly are you defining "soft" here?
I mean, Hamonic isn't great by any stretch, but softer than Brannstrom? idk about that...
I mean, if we go by hits, Brannstrom is 2nd last among D on the team in hits/60 at 5v5. He's higher up in blocked shots but still behind Chychrun, Hamonic and JBD
I'll give Brannstrom that he pops right back up after getting crushed with a big hit, but if "soft" is used to describe a player that the opposition isn't worried about from a physical perspective, I'd argue Brannstrom is probably the least imposing D on the team (perhaps second to Chabot).
Agent Zub
Registered User
- Jan 2, 2015
- 14,540
- 11,801
combination of things.
but mostly looking at ability to win battles and move the puck in pressure and how willing they are to engage in the first place. those are the basics for tough d even before blocked shots or hits.
those other d save Sanderson and Zub do not stack up favourably there. so they are soft.
hamonic was constantly hearing footsteps and flubbing easy passes passes because he was scared of pressure. the softest of the bunch.
Masked
(Super/star)
Has anyone delved into the stats to see what the team's record is when he gets more than 18 minutes a night? Or 20 minutes a night?
The whole context of the discussion was that we could use him as a 7th dman, and I was suggesting that he wouldn’t be okay with that role because he wants to prove himself as an every day defenceman.
As of right now, there are teams in which he is one, and teams that he wouldn’t be. If the second we are a playoff team he’s pushed down to the bottom of the lineup, there will continue to be questions around his viability. That’s not a knock on him, it’s true he’s blocked a bit here. But he has been kept around on a year by year basis and has rumours of being shopped year after year - I don’t agree with the notion that he’s fully cemented himself. Doesn’t mean he won’t, or that he can’t succeed with better opportunity. The league is littered with players that found their footing on a different team. But when you are pushed out because you don’t have a role on your team, you always have a question mark until you prove otherwise.
