Confirmed with Link: Avs sign D Erik Brännström 900k X 1 year

[henchman21]

I don't think there's any "upset" about Brannstrom in of himself. It's about the fact that he's joined on the #5, #6, #7, and #8 option list by CDH, Malinski, MacDonald, and Rosen...

Yup... you have 4 guys who are all pretty much the same defensemen (Rosen, MacDonald, Brannstrom, and Malinski). Given CDH is likely the JMFJ replacement and a PK role player. He's nailed in on the left side bottom pairing. So that pushes all those guys to the right with Brannstrom likely being the first option out of camp as he has the largest waivers risk even if he's not the best.

The role is the primary issue. Brannstrom can't PK, he's a risky puck mover who will turn the puck over and commit penalties (two things Bednar just loves on his bottom pairing), he's not sound defensively, and needs a cycle buster to be effective. He's a worse Girard who needs a Manson/Tanev type next to him to have a lot of success.

What we really need is a #5-8 that is more like Manson and less like Girard.

And ideally a right shot, though one doesn't really exist out in UFA. Maybe Bortuzzo, but he really sucks.

 

[AVSfan2daMAX]

The Avs get the benefit of the doubt from me when it comes to these types of signings. There's a good chance this will be another success.

 

[Cypher]

He's also listed as a LW.

So the Avs lone extra skater due to cap reasons will be Brannstrom and be a MacDermid 2.0, better skater, and equal amount of punches thrown.

 

[the_fan]

Yup... you have 4 guys who are all pretty much the same defensemen (Rosen, MacDonald, Brannstrom, and Malinski). Given CDH is likely the JMFJ replacement and a PK role player. He's nailed in on the left side bottom pairing. So that pushes all those guys to the right with Brannstrom likely being the first option out of camp as he has the largest waivers risk even if he's not the best.

The role is the primary issue. Brannstrom can't PK, he's a risky puck mover who will turn the puck over and commit penalties (two things Bednar just loves on his bottom pairing), he's not sound defensively, and needs a cycle buster to be effective. He's a worse Girard who needs a Manson/Tanev type next to him to have a lot of success.



And ideally a right shot, though one doesn't really exist out in UFA. Maybe Bortuzzo, but he really sucks.

Malinski is much better than Rosen and MacDonald

 

[Pokecheque]

He's a worse Girard who needs a Manson/Tanev type next to him to have a lot of success.

Manson was anything but "Tanev-like" last season. Girard was more of the stay-at-home guy on that pairing, oddly enough.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Yup... you have 4 guys who are all pretty much the same defensemen (Rosen, MacDonald, Brannstrom, and Malinski). Given CDH is likely the JMFJ replacement and a PK role player. He's nailed in on the left side bottom pairing. So that pushes all those guys to the right with Brannstrom likely being the first option out of camp as he has the largest waivers risk even if he's not the best.

The role is the primary issue. Brannstrom can't PK, he's a risky puck mover who will turn the puck over and commit penalties (two things Bednar just loves on his bottom pairing), he's not sound defensively, and needs a cycle buster to be effective. He's a worse Girard who needs a Manson/Tanev type next to him to have a lot of success.



And ideally a right shot, though one doesn't really exist out in UFA. Maybe Bortuzzo, but he really sucks.

Last one to go on the market was probably Radko Gudas and he's more of a second pairing guy. He was also on the wrong side of 30 and got 4M x 3 years during the flat cap.

 

[henchman21]

Malinski is much better than Rosen and MacDonald

I don't agree with that. I think Rosen is really the best of the bunch all around. Malinski has some offensive skills, but he's a complete disaster defensively. The worst out of the whole group defensively.

 

[McMetal]

I liked Brannstrom a lot in his draft year, but between Malinski, Behrens, and him we now have too many of that type of defenseman fighting to break into the 6th D spot, IMO. I'd rather take a flyer on one of the other two than go with a guy who has already played 250 NHL games and never really gotten established.

 

[henchman21]

Manson was anything but "Tanev-like" last season. Girard was more of the stay-at-home guy on that pairing, oddly enough.

I think that is the coaching staff trying to get all the defensemen to be aggressive. Which is an area that Brannstrom may find success. He's been too passive at the blue line offensively, getting more engaged, more consistently could help his offensive game.

Last one to go on the market was probably Radko Gudas and he's more of a second pairing guy. He was also on the wrong side of 30 and got 4M x 3 years during the flat cap.

Guys that can skate or move the puck decently tend to have that premium and tend to play in a middle pairing role. A few bottom paring cycle busters RD like Desharnais hit the market yearly. They still command a premium, but a guy like that would be ideal to pair with Brannstrom.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Behrens has a games played bonus that hits at 10 games. Possible he got promised that, also possible that he gets kept down because of the overage (same thing happened to Foudy a couple years ago).

Brannstrom is a bottom pairing version of Girard. Worse skater, softer, and not as offensively talented... but similar style.

He looks a smidge bigger than girard. But thats like the dufference between a dwarf and a hobbit.

 

[MacKaRant]

Right...but I'm not complaining about the cap, I'm critiquing that we need a #5 and #6 defensman and these are the only options in the entire organization right now which means at least two of them are playing every night. And three of them will be playing every night if a top four guy gets injured.

With what cap space though? With the cap challenges we have around Landy and Nuke, for the first half of the season, we're going to need to run a $2M or under bottom pair. Maybe one or two of the cluster of flawed 5 and 6 D who we signed will stand out in a good way. Or maybe not and we can look to address at the TDL, especially if some cap space is freed up by LTIR, contract termination, or trade

 

[henchman21]

He looks a smidge bigger than girard. But thats like the dufference between a dwarf and a hobbit.

There's not a major difference there. G is a lot more physical, so even if he is smaller, he plays bigger.

 

[henchman21]

With what cap space though? With the cap challenges we have around Landy and Nuke, for the first half of the season, we're going to need to run a $2M or under bottom pair. Maybe one or two of the cluster of flawed 5 and 6 D who we signed will stand out in a good way. Or maybe not and we can look to address at the TDL, especially if some cap space is freed up by LTIR, contract termination, or trade

IMO since the Avs are constrained in this manner, the best solution is to get two guys who can take on PK minutes and play as low event of hockey as possible for 12-14 minutes a night. This would limit the load on the top guys until the bottom pairing could be addressed down the road. Going for guys who cannot PK and play risky hockey is going to lead to those players' minutes being pulled down and the top guys are going to have to take on more PK and more 5v5 minutes.

 

[NOTENOUGHRYJOTHINGS]

This guy is small, skates average, poor offensive zone skills, can retrieve pucks and make a breakout pass but struggles to actually defend.

Could get punched out by Kyle Cumiskey (who has a hand tied behind his back).

How is he even in the NHL?

 

[Pokecheque]

IMO since the Avs are constrained in this manner, the best solution is to get two guys who can take on PK minutes and play as low event of hockey as possible for 12-14 minutes a night. This would limit the load on the top guys until the bottom pairing could be addressed down the road. Going for guys who cannot PK and play risky hockey is going to lead to those players' minutes being pulled down and the top guys are going to have to take on more PK and more 5v5 minutes.

Yeah, that part I definitely do not like. Bednar relies way too much on the top pairing guys to kill penalties. Getting more guys who can't do it is generally a bad idea.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Yeah, that part I definitely do not like. Bednar relies way too much on the top pairing guys to kill penalties. Getting more guys who can't do it is generally a bad idea.

The sad part is, I don't think it really matters who's on our PK. The actual design of our system sucks. Way, way too passive.

 

[FreudsLeatherJacket]

Maybe he shines here, but would had preferred big boi meat.

Pause

 

[Pokecheque]

The sad part is, I don't think it really matters who's on our PK. The actual design of our system sucks. Way, way too passive.

Yeah. I know I've but I'm gonna keep doing it--I HATEHATEHAAAAATE the Avs PK system. The one under Hartley/Cloutier drove me nuts too but my God even that one was better than what we're witnessing now. So, so much I can't stand about it. And it plays right into Georgie's weaknesses too.

The only good thing I can say about the current PK is that it's better than the idiocy we saw early on in Bednar's tenure with that weird-ass rotating forward up the middle bullshit. And that's saying something.

Darren Helm was literally the best PK coach the Avs have ever had. LOC and JTC became so much better just by watching him.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Yeah. I know I've but I'm gonna keep doing it--I HATEHATEHAAAAATE the Avs PK system. The one under Hartley/Cloutier drove me nuts too but my God even that one was better than what we're witnessing now. So, so much I can't stand about it. And it plays right into Georgie's weaknesses too.

The only good thing I can say about the current PK is that it's better than the idiocy we saw early on in Bednar's tenure with that weird-ass rotating forward up the middle bullshit. And that's saying something.

Darren Helm was literally the best PK coach the Avs have ever had. LOC and JTC became so much better just by watching him.

I'm actually surprised Helm isn't already coaching somewhere. I suppose he's earned a couple of years off though. *LOL* Wouldn't mind him being an assistant here and taking over the PK.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

Yeah. I know I've but I'm gonna keep doing it--I HATEHATEHAAAAATE the Avs PK system. The one under Hartley/Cloutier drove me nuts too but my God even that one was better than what we're witnessing now. So, so much I can't stand about it. And it plays right into Georgie's weaknesses too.

The only good thing I can say about the current PK is that it's better than the idiocy we saw early on in Bednar's tenure with that weird-ass rotating forward up the middle bullshit. And that's saying something.

Darren Helm was literally the best PK coach the Avs have ever had. LOC and JTC became so much better just by watching him.

The PP and PK need significant work.

 

[MacKaRant]

IMO since the Avs are constrained in this manner, the best solution is to get two guys who can take on PK minutes and play as low event of hockey as possible for 12-14 minutes a night. This would limit the load on the top guys until the bottom pairing could be addressed down the road. Going for guys who cannot PK and play risky hockey is going to lead to those players' minutes being pulled down and the top guys are going to have to take on more PK and more 5v5 minutes.

Were there any of those low-event, bottom pair defensemen types signed during the free agent "frenzy" with fully buryable cap hits? Or any still out there waiting for a contract?

I wouldn't necessarily call Desharnais a "low-event" defenseman, but he's at least more in the mold of a rugged bottom pair D that I think we're collectively envisioning, and even he got 2 x $2M in free agency. Hakanpaa 2 x $1.5M in Toronto as well, I guess.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

I like it.

 

[Alex Jones]

My weakness is loading up on back end puck movers so I like this

 

[the_fan]

I don't agree with that. I think Rosen is really the best of the bunch all around. Malinski has some offensive skills, but he's a complete disaster defensively. The worst out of the whole group defensively.

Have you ever agreed with me in the 70 years we’ve been posting here?

 

[henchman21]

Were there any of those low-event, bottom pair defensemen types signed during the free agent "frenzy" with fully buryable cap hits? Or any still out there waiting for a contract?

I wouldn't necessarily call Desharnais a "low-event" defenseman, but he's at least more in the mold of a rugged bottom pair D that I think we're collectively envisioning, and even he got 2 x $2M in free agency. Hakanpaa 2 x $1.5M in Toronto as well, I guess.

Desharnais is about as low event as you can realistically get. He was near the top 10 in CA/60 and SA/60. He gave up scoring chances at a bit higher rate because he's not good... but not a lot happens on the ice when he's out there. Schultz has turned himself into that and is still available.

CDH is a low event guy BTW. I don't think he should be an every night guy, but he was a step in that direction.

Have you ever agreed with me in the 70 years we’ve been posting here?

I'm sure it has happened by mistake.