Player Discussion Erik Brännström - D - Part III

[bicboi64]

Brann was fine considering its hist first game, but everyone's feedback of him is valid. He has to make adjustments or he's screwed/going to get injured. He has the passing ability and has shown very good skating in the past and in junior and I think learning how to take hits and be a better skater are things that he can work on. He has the IQ and skill, but with some work on his skating he'll be fine. He's easily a top 4 defender on our sorry club and I hope Smith keeps him in and helps him work on his game

 

[Golden_Jet]

Everyone seems so concerned for Brannstrom taking hits and clutching their pearls about it. Yet I don’t recall Brannstrom ever complaining abt it, or being injured because of it.

It was obvious he was better in the lineup than any of the other 4 last night. Let him play FFS and if he gets injured from taking hits well, then he gets injured taking hits and that will be that.

injured last year, https://thehockeywriters.com/senators-brannstrom-injury-development-obstacle/

 

[Hale The Villain]

He was fine last night but his faults were evident. Not smart or fast enough to succeed as a 5'9 defenseman.

Could develop into a good bottom pairing D, maybe a 2nd pairing guy, but my god did Dorion ever screw up trading a PPG Selke finalist for him.

 

[NeedlessSeals]

Worth considering that on top of it being his first game back he didn't really have a consistent partner through the first half of the game on account of all the special teams time. In the first he basically rotated partners every other shift, which might explain why he looked better as the game wore on.

 

[coladin]

He was fine. Same player, nothing has changed in his game, so I don't know if that is a good or bad sign, But I will go with bad. But he will get a longer look and hopefully PP1 as Chabot has turned into a pumpkin again

 

[JackieDaytona]

He's got his flaws which are well-documented here. But it certainly was nice to have a Dman (outside of Chabot/Zub) who doesn't flub the puck and has enough poise and vision to make decent outlets, make plays on the blue line on offense etc. Even with those flaws, it's clear to me that this team benefits from having him in the lineup now.

 

[MrInvidious]

There are too many people that are quick to highlight the issues with Brannstrom simply because of who he was dealt for and what we were told he would/could be. He's not a top D and he never will be, but he's easily a top 4 D on this team right now. Period.

Dude gets too much crap given that he should, undoubtedly, be on this team for the rest of the season.

 

[Sweatred]

There are too many people that are quick to highlight the issues with Brannstrom simply because of who he was dealt for and what we were told he would/could be. He's not a top D and he never will be, but he's easily a top 4 D on this team right now. Period.

Dude gets too much crap given that he should, undoubtedly, be on this team for the rest of the season.

Its a glass half empty fan base - Branny is a much better option than losing Stone for nothing as a UFA. He was going where ever he wanted anyway, Vegas only paid to have him one playoff round sooner.

 

[Bileur]

Its a glass half empty fan base - Branny is a much better option than losing Stone for nothing as a UFA. He was going where ever he wanted anyway, Vegas only paid to have him one playoff round sooner.

Speak for yourself, I’ve always been an “arena is half full” kind of guy.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Value will emerge with brannstrom. He has his strengths. dJ needs to coach this up. Not down.
And no his strength doesn’t seem to be “pure offense”.

 

[SpezDispenser]

Noticeably better than all but the top 2 guys imo. Skates well, passes well, doesn't back down physically.

 

[OD99]

Thought he was much better and comfortable against the Kings.

They dont forecheck like the Bruins but still a much more even showing and there is no question his abilities in transition and in the offensive zone are far better than anyone not named Chabot or Zub.

 

[Dionysus]

Let him run the #1 pp unit, give Chabot some time to rest. Can't be any worse than the current PP setup.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDoo]

Just the improvement in the 2nd PP unit alone should be justification that this guy stays in the lineup for the rest of the year.

 

[Zorf]

I don't know if he's at the level of being a full-time NHL player. He struggles against teams that forecheck heavily. When he's on the ice, the puck is dumped into his corner. That's not by fluke. Teams know he's not speedy enough to get to the puck with some time to make a play. He gets there and gets hit into the boards by a bigger forward who then goes ahead and takes the puck away.

Against more defensive teams, he looks like the 3rd best defenceman on the team.


He needs to spend as much time as possible with the skating coach to get himself that extra step so he can retrieve pucks and make a play before taking contact. He'll still take some contact, but at least the puck will be gone. If he does that, give him the 2nd pairing LD spot until Sanderson is ready to take it from him.



I really like him on the PP. He's so good there.

 

[SAK11]

Noticeably better than all but the top 2 guys imo. Skates well, passes well, doesn't back down physically.

Pretty much the same as in the preseason. Also showed himself well down the stretch last season. Too bad the coach doesn't seem to like him, no reason for him to have been sent down to start the year when we're giving minutes to a guy like Del Zotto. Of course he has his flaws but he brings more to the table than a lot of our other d-men.

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

Is it just me or does he run the PP2 that has much lesser talent better than Chabot does with PP1?

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Is it just me or does he run the PP2 that has much lesser talent better than Chabot does with PP1?

I think he is a better PP QB. He moves the puck super fast.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Is it just me or does he run the PP2 that has much lesser talent better than Chabot does with PP1?

No it's not just you, and if DJ had a brain he would play him instead of Chabot on the PP1; gives Chabot some time to rest.

 

[OD99]

I don't know if he's at the level of being a full-time NHL player. He struggles against teams that forecheck heavily. When he's on the ice, the puck is dumped into his corner. That's not by fluke. Teams know he's not speedy enough to get to the puck with some time to make a play. He gets there and gets hit into the boards by a bigger forward who then goes ahead and takes the puck away.

Against more defensive teams, he looks like the 3rd best defenceman on the team.


He needs to spend as much time as possible with the skating coach to get himself that extra step so he can retrieve pucks and make a play before taking contact. He'll still take some contact, but at least the puck will be gone. If he does that, give him the 2nd pairing LD spot until Sanderson is ready to take it from him.


I really like him on the PP. He's so good there.

See I get what you are seeing but it is crazy how this is only mentioned about Brannstrom. Teams dump the puck in to Brown's corner all the time too because he can't pivot to get it and if he does get it they know it is going right up the boards back to them.

There is also a bigger opening to dump it in to Brann corner because he has the confidence and IQ to stay up in the play longer - he defends the blueline and neutral zone more aggressively looking for turnovers to transition back the other way while Brown concedes that part of the ice because he knows he can't get back.

Let's just pick any defender next game and see how often the puck is dumped in and they don't make a proper play with it. These plays are magnified for Brann because the story is he can't defend and he gets overpowered.

 

[Bileur]

I don't know if he's at the level of being a full-time NHL player. He struggles against teams that forecheck heavily. When he's on the ice, the puck is dumped into his corner. That's not by fluke. Teams know he's not speedy enough to get to the puck with some time to make a play. He gets there and gets hit into the boards by a bigger forward who then goes ahead and takes the puck away.

I don’t understand the concern about him getting hit. He’s not a damsel in distress. He was targeted on the forecheck against the bruins (and pasted often) but he was taking hits to make plays, something we give everyone but Brannstrom accolades for doing, and (IIRC) didn’t have any terrible turnovers in that game.

Targeting a young defenseman for dump-ins is nothing new. It’s a classic strategy teams employ often when playing young defensemen. Heck, it literally took years for teams to stop doing that to Karlsson even when he was calmly corralling the puck absolutely roasting them taking it back the other way for odd man rushes.

I don’t really see it as any different than teams trying hard to match up their top line against your fourth line or third pair. Does that mean you bench guys like Sabu? No, you just use them accordingly.

I also don’t get this fear in the context of the Sens. In the last few days we’ve heard that team executives were screaming to dump the puck in Josh Brown’s corner to a level the media guys had never heard before, including the 30+ games Brannstrom played last season. Personally, I’m more confident in the Sens coming away with possession following a dump into Brannstrom’s corner than Brown’s.

He’s short, but he’s not that small, and he’s a grown ass man. You can’t treat him like bubble boy and protect him, if injuries happen they happen, if he’s really giving the puck away much more than anyone else then bench him. It doesn’t have to be complicated. We know the guys they’re sending out now aren’t working, the Sens need to let him try and see what happens. Judge him by his performance, and results, not by your anxiety.

Against more defensive teams, he looks like the 3rd best defenceman on the team.

He needs to spend as much time as possible with the skating coach to get himself that extra step so he can retrieve pucks and make a play before taking contact. He'll still take some contact, but at least the puck will be gone. If he does that, give him the 2nd pairing LD spot until Sanderson is ready to take it from him.

I really like him on the PP. He's so good there.

Agreed, an extra half step would be tremendous for him.

 

[SensFan1010]

Its awful how flawed our coach is . I think DJ is great at getting the most out of prospects/ getting them to work hard but i dont think hes an NHL coach by any means

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Man, I been huge advocate for Brannstrom, but my guy gets pushed around like a fly.

The best thing we can do now is literally let him play through the struggles. We gave Cowen, Ceci, Wiercioch and you NAME IT full seasons to find their game--we can do it with Brannstrom. If he falters, we are no worse for wear with our atrocious alternatives; if he succeeds, we have a top 4/serviceable defender.

 

[Wondercarrot]

I don’t understand the concern about him getting hit. He’s not a damsel in distress. He was targeted on the forecheck against the bruins (and pasted often) but he was taking hits to make plays, something we give everyone but Brannstrom accolades for doing, and (IIRC) didn’t have any terrible turnovers in that game.

Targeting a young defenseman for dump-ins is nothing new. It’s a classic strategy teams employ often when playing young defensemen. Heck, it literally took years for teams to stop doing that to Karlsson even when he was calmly corralling the puck absolutely roasting them taking it back the other way for odd man rushes.

I don’t really see it as any different than teams trying hard to match up their top line against your fourth line or third pair. Does that mean you bench guys like Sabu? No, you just use them accordingly.

I also don’t get this fear in the context of the Sens. In the last few days we’ve heard that team executives were screaming to dump the puck in Josh Brown’s corner to a level the media guys had never heard before, including the 30+ games Brannstrom played last season. Personally, I’m more confident in the Sens coming away with possession following a dump into Brannstrom’s corner than Brown’s.

He’s short, but he’s not that small, and he’s a grown ass man. You can’t treat him like bubble boy and protect him, if injuries happen they happen, if he’s really giving the puck away much more than anyone else then bench him. It doesn’t have to be complicated. We know the guys they’re sending out now aren’t working, the Sens need to let him try and see what happens. Judge him by his performance, and results, not by your anxiety.






Agreed, an extra half step would be tremendous for him.

Exactly. Spot on.

 

[Ice-Tray]

I don’t understand the concern about him getting hit. He’s not a damsel in distress. He was targeted on the forecheck against the bruins (and pasted often) but he was taking hits to make plays, something we give everyone but Brannstrom accolades for doing, and (IIRC) didn’t have any terrible turnovers in that game.

Targeting a young defenseman for dump-ins is nothing new. It’s a classic strategy teams employ often when playing young defensemen. Heck, it literally took years for teams to stop doing that to Karlsson even when he was calmly corralling the puck absolutely roasting them taking it back the other way for odd man rushes.

I don’t really see it as any different than teams trying hard to match up their top line against your fourth line or third pair. Does that mean you bench guys like Sabu? No, you just use them accordingly.

I also don’t get this fear in the context of the Sens. In the last few days we’ve heard that team executives were screaming to dump the puck in Josh Brown’s corner to a level the media guys had never heard before, including the 30+ games Brannstrom played last season. Personally, I’m more confident in the Sens coming away with possession following a dump into Brannstrom’s corner than Brown’s.

He’s short, but he’s not that small, and he’s a grown ass man. You can’t treat him like bubble boy and protect him, if injuries happen they happen, if he’s really giving the puck away much more than anyone else then bench him. It doesn’t have to be complicated. We know the guys they’re sending out now aren’t working, the Sens need to let him try and see what happens. Judge him by his performance, and results, not by your anxiety.






Agreed, an extra half step would be tremendous for him.

I think the issue is that he takes the hit and gives away the puck, rather than making a play.

Not always, but there are times where he looks a little panicky when he knows he’s about to get smooshed.

Having said that, he looked pretty good in other areas of his game and we need guys who are better at other areas of the game.

Like mentioned a million times by other people, he has to get better at his small passes so that when he’s about to get crushed he can actually make that play, instead of just throwing the puck away.

Glad he’s getting a chance.