Player Discussion Erik Brännström |5'10, 181lbs | Left Handed Defenceman

[FunkySeeFunkyDoo]

Hope Lajoie gets a fair shot as a result of this.

 

[RaMai]

Hope Lajoie gets a fair shot as a result of this.

That would be nice, he had his moments in this dumpster fire last year!

 

[2CHAINZ]

He was really dragging Hainsey down.

 

[Xspyrit]

Felt like he was being rushed to the league because of the Woalanin injury.

Exactly. Wolanin is by far and away the 2nd best puck mover on the team so they wanted a guy with these qualities but IMO Brannstrom is a guy that could really benefit some overcooking in the AHL ala Batherson.

Imo the final product will be in between Tobias Enstrom and Torey Krug. And since he’s the return for Mark F’in Stone we absolutely want him to be closer to Krug than Toby

 

[TheDebater]

This could just be random, but I appreciate that management did not send him down after a loss but a win. It tends to send the wrong message when the team sends a player down after a loss, almost like it implies "it's your fault we lost, go to the AHL". Being sent down after a win, we no longer really associate the demotion with the team's play.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

This could just be random, but I appreciate that management did not send him down after a loss but a win. It tends to send the wrong message when the team sends a player down after a loss, almost like it implies "it's your fault we lost, go to the AHL". Being sent down after a win, we no longer really associate the demotion with the team's play.

So much for Chlapik then

 

[RAFI BOMB]

Exactly. Wolanin is by far and away the 2nd best puck mover on the team so they wanted a guy with these qualities but IMO Brannstrom is a guy that could really benefit some overcooking in the AHL ala Batherson.

Imo the final product will be in between Tobias Enstrom and Torey Krug. And since he’s the return for Mark F’in Stone we absolutely want him to be closer to Krug than Toby

His upside is probably closer to Ryan Ellis. He is most likely a 3 or 4 at best. Dorion got excited about a prospect and over valued him. Stone was worth a lot more than Brannstrom and a mid to late 2nd.

 

[TheDebater]

So much for Chlapik then

I am misremembering but was that not due to an injured player coming back?

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I am misremembering but was that not due to an injured player coming back?

Chlapik was sent down this week after the Calgary game.

 

[TheDebater]

His upside is probably closer to Ryan Ellis. He is most likely a 3 or 4 at best. Dorion got excited about a prospect and over valued him. Stone was worth a lot more than Brannstrom and a mid to late 2nd.

At this point, yes, for sure Stone was worth more at the time even if Brannstrom reaches full potential. The risk at the moment is way too high and it makes the trade look pretty terrible. Consequently it makes me wonder, how much did the Sens actually scout Brannstrom before the trade? Did they simply read a bit about him, look at where he was drafted, watch a few game videos and decide "yes he is awesome"?

With that said, we will never know what other offers were available at the time and whether or not he could have recieved more? If the other offers were worse and Dorion's only other option was to not trade Stone...then I do not know anyone who would not take Brannstrom and a 2nd.

 

[saskytaxi]

Craig Button still thinks hes a franchise dman

 

[OD99]

I will say at the time just about every talking head was saying Brannstrom was an Elite blue chip prospect.

When he came up for a handful of games last year he was markedly faster, quicker and played with a swagger.

No idea what happened in the off season but this seems eerily similar to Batherson this season as well. Both showed great last year and seemed 2 steps behind while in the NHL this year.

Hope for a similar bounce back and that Brannstrom starts playing with pace...quick goal on PP in 1st game...assisted by Batherson and Norris.

 

[SensontheRush]

Frankly, I wouldn't be the most bummed out if Brannstrom busted. Sure, we traded Stone for him, yet I feel like he probably wasn't too keen on resigning with us. It is a sunk cost at this point.

I'm mostly just really high on Wolanin. He is incredibly undervalued. There was no need to get an asset like Brannstrom when we have Wolanin, though Wol is 4 years older than him.

 

[TheDebater]

Frankly, I wouldn't be the most bummed out if Brannstrom busted. Sure, we traded Stone for him, yet I feel like he probably wasn't too keen on resigning with us. It is a sunk cost at this point.

I'm mostly just really high on Wolanin. He is incredibly undervalued. There was no need to get an asset like Brannstrom when we have Wolanin, though Wol is 4 years older than him.

We could have probably been better off receiving a forward from Vegas (or another team) instead, but really, if the forward is not a better asset than Brannstrom then you have to take the better deal. On the bright side, if we end up with a logjam on defense next year or the year after, we can always trade one of them for a forward.

There is always a GM out there ready to trade a Hall type for a Larsson type.

 

[Clayonator]

Soft & could fight in the same paragraph doesn't make sense. He wasn't soft at all, he was pretty tough, cleared the front of the net & fought some tough guys, but he wasn't a great defenceman. My point was that IMO he brought more than Jaros & played a role well which most probably disagree with.

Fighting aside, he didn’t play the body enough on a regular basis, and actually use his size during the play, not just between whistles. Nikita Freaking Zaitsev is better than him at that. Him reaching for a poke check time after time when it would have been better to just staple the guy was infuriating. Good knuckle chucker though.

 

[Clayonator]

People are writing Brannstrom off too quickly. He will be a fine puck mover for us. A more mobile partner would help when he’s back, but I get the whole Hainsey thing for mentorship.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

At this point, yes, for sure Stone was worth more at the time even if Brannstrom reaches full potential. The risk at the moment is way too high and it makes the trade look pretty terrible. Consequently it makes me wonder, how much did the Sens actually scout Brannstrom before the trade? Did they simply read a bit about him, look at where he was drafted, watch a few game videos and decide "yes he is awesome"?

With that said, we will never know what other offers were available at the time and whether or not he could have recieved more? If the other offers were worse and Dorion's only other option was to not trade Stone...then I do not know anyone who would not take Brannstrom and a 2nd.

It wouldn't make much sense to trade for a player they hadn't scouted so I think the issue is more of projected upside than lack of scouting. I don't understand how they came to the conclusion that Brannstrom had number 1 d man or top pairing upside. Sure he has some good puck skills and offensive instincts but he is undersized, has average to slightly above average speed and skating, and isn't well known for his defensive play.

If we take Karlsson as a comparable, Karlsson was slightly undersized, and a bit weak defensively but he compensated for that with exceptional speed and skating. Karlsson often needed a solid defensive d man (Methot and Sutton) to offset his more roaming style of play. But even not considering his defensive partners, Karlsson's speed and skating allowed him to be hyper aggressive offensively because he could get himself back to the defensive zone quickly. Brannstrom does not have that speed or skating ability which will impact his offensive play. He can't afford to be as aggressive offensively because it will lead to him failing his defensive assignments.

Also being undersized hurts Brannstrom as well. In the defensive zone size, strength and physicality can compensate for defensive faults and flaws. Not having the advantages of size and strength forces a d man to be more cerebral; they need to be able to anticipate plays and passes in order to break them up. They also need to assess time and space both accurately and rapidly. They can potentially be out muscled and lose one-on-one battles if they approach it from a pure athleticism standpoint which in turn forces them to need to out think their opponents. I am not aware of anything suggesting that Brannstrom is an elite and cerebral d man in the defensive zone. My understanding is that his value lies in his offensive game and his ability to transition the puck quickly. Outlet passes and transitioning the puck are important skills for d men to have but there is a lot more needed to be elite in the defensive zone.

So from my perspective Brannstrom's upside is a 2nd pairing offensive d man.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Should we not make new threads when a player like Brannstrom is sent down to Belleville or edit the title? I had no idea this happened until I heard it on a podcast.

Anyway, good move by the team. He really needs this.

 

[saskytaxi]

Should have been done earlier.. if he reaches full potential him and chabot will be a dandy to watch

 

[robsenz]

He'll be ok in the end, he;s had really good flashes during his last couple games, unfortunately that came with the bad as well. He has poise but I feel like that doesn't work in his favour in the NHL, it comes off as slow decision making more so. He need to work on moving his feet and getting shots on net from the point, he rarely ever shoots from the blueline.

 

[LeProspector]

You have to remember that Brannstrom is still only twenty, I mean he JUST turned twenty in September and you’re already writing him off? He’ll be fine.

I know as Sens fans, we can be pessimistic, but Brannstrom is still young. Defenceman usually take longer anyway.

 

[Tuna99]

You have to remember that Brannstrom is still only twenty, I mean he JUST turned twenty in September and you’re already writing him off? He’ll be fine.

I know as Sens fans, we can be pessimistic, but Brannstrom is still young. Defenceman usually take longer anyway.

Eaxctly. And he’s not Erik Karlsson.

A big thing working against the kid is Dorion calling him the #1 defensive prospect in hockey and then Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar came into the league and are essentially elite from day 1. Bransstrom isn’t close to that yet, doesn’t have the wheels.

I think the fan base is waiting for signs of elite, we haven’t seen that yet. So there’s reason for concern because the expectations from the GM were that Bransstrom would be elite, and he’s not

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Now just leave him in Belleville until the end of the season. Kid needs to be in a stable place and concentrate on his game and getting more explosiveness/speed on his legs.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

You have to remember that Brannstrom is still only twenty, I mean he JUST turned twenty in September and you’re already writing him off? He’ll be fine.

I know as Sens fans, we can be pessimistic, but Brannstrom is still young. Defenceman usually take longer anyway.

Exactly. The kid is 20. And a defenseman.

Most people can't tell their ass from a hole in the ground at 20. Give him some time.

 

[Cosmix]

At this point, yes, for sure Stone was worth more at the time even if Brannstrom reaches full potential. The risk at the moment is way too high and it makes the trade look pretty terrible. Consequently it makes me wonder, how much did the Sens actually scout Brannstrom before the trade? Did they simply read a bit about him, look at where he was drafted, watch a few game videos and decide "yes he is awesome"?

With that said, we will never know what other offers were available at the time and whether or not he could have recieved more? If the other offers were worse and Dorion's only other option was to not trade Stone...then I do not know anyone who would not take Brannstrom and a 2nd.

I know what I would rather do. It is not related to players.