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

[PAZ]

I like this signing for the regular season. This team is at its best when there are puck movers on the back end. Between Brannstrom, Rosen, MacD, Malinski, and Behrens you have to hope one of them gains Bednar's trust to play 12-15 minutes a night.

 

[Spender]

One of those players I thought was a sure-fire thing. Definitely worth a proper look on a new team.

 

[Freaky Styley]

Trading Girard and putting Brännström next to Manson would make sense stylistically, but Brännström isn't as good as Girard and has also always played better on his off side.

Toews --- Makar
Girard ---- Manson
DeHaan/xxxx - Brännström

That's the setup I'd imagine they're aiming for here.

Ya if he can play the right side I'd imagine he's there to duke it out with Malinski - though I do hope they give Malinski a proper look this year.

Don't we still have to shed cap somehow? With their comments on Manson, Coltons' NTC and this, Girard just makes the most sense.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

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.

I think CDH can PK, but ya we could have used a RHD who can PK.

 

[Pokecheque]

The PP and PK need significant work.

There's only one thing they need to remember on the power play to make it work--they seem to forget for long stretches that it requires someone in front generating traffic, creating screens, deflecting shots, and plunking in rebounds and rely too much on 8 and 29 trying to create the perfect snipe. I'd also like for Bednar to put more emphasis on creating a viable 2nd unit, but I suppose the overall lack of depth did make it hard to do that. The power play was good...it just wasn't consistent for those reasons.

But the PK at its very fundamentals is just plain shit. I won't drop this--watching Ryan Graves go from an extremely aggressive PK defender (who was very effective BTW) when he started to a passive shot-blocker who did more to deflect pucks into his own net than prevent chances continues to be a very, very sore spot for me in regards to Bednar and Pratt (no idea if Bennett plays a part on the PK or if he just handles the power play).

 

[Balthazar]

the PK at its very fundamentals is just plain shit.

Don't blame the coaches. It's a pile of shit because they don't have the right tools: no good defensive center who can win faceoffs, no good defensive D with size.

Brannstrom sure as f*** won't steal Makar's ice time on the PK.

 

[S E P H]

Surprised so many of you lot like this move. I want to be wrong, but I think some of you lot are going to change your tune when he gets to game 20 and looks dreadful out there.

 

[Pokecheque]

Don't blame the coaches. It's a pile of shit because they don't have the right tools: no good defensive center who can win faceoffs, no good defensive D with size.

Brannstrom sure as f*** won't steal Makar's ice time on the PK.

It's not defensive D with size that are the issue--in fact it's built so that bigger d-men CAN'T run it because they're always hovering by the f***ing goalposts, so any shot that gets blocked and lands in the corner requires so the guy closest to the loose puck has to scramble like hell to try and get it out. If they spread out more, not only would they challenge puckhandlers more effectively, they'd be closer to loose pucks AND better able to intercept/deflect passes.

Also, Jack Han broke down the Leafs' PK when it was really struggling and noted that even such a small change like having a LHD like TJ Brodie on the right side, even though he prefers that side, made it all but impossible to get sticks in passing lanes. The Avs' PK is built like that BY F***ING DESIGN, I don't know why they do it but Bednar has them on their off-side a lot of times, I think because he thinks they'll have their sticks in the slot area so that they're better able to scoop up rebounds and fire them down the ice, but it just allows it so the opposing power play can just move the puck around at will.

I know better personnel would help but even when they have those guys it still struggles for stretches. A better system would at least make it so that they don't have to continually rely on the same 3-4 guys to even make it remotely competent.

Lastly, they have a goalie who just doesn't track the puck well through traffic, and has really poor rebound control. The PK went from bad to abominable in the very last part of the regular season and was just as bad in the playoffs.

It just absolutely kills me that Bednar employs such a radically aggressive system in all other facets and then he turns into John Tortorella the minute his team goes a man down.

Surprised so many of you lot like this move. I want to be wrong, but I think some of you lot are going to change your tune when he gets to game 20 and looks dreadful out there.

Meh, so what? If he sucks it's a waste of $900K. He gets waived, sent down, contract buried.

I personally don't love or even like the move, I just think it's interesting.

 

[Agent Zub]

Any chance Brannstrom means Kylington in another language because damn if not?!

This bloke is an absolute coward when being forechequed against, turnover machine and hot potato with puck sort of player.

couldn't be further from the truth lol.

he doesn't shy away from contact and when he is hit bounces right back up.

probably a little too fearless as he sometimes holds the puck too long looking for a perfect play and gets hit.

complete opposite of what you're describing. if only the rest of the senators roster had the courage of this guy.

play him with a crease clearer and you have a solid two way 3rd pair. play him in the top 4 with a good partner and you will still have a top 4 level pairing.

 

[Foppa2118]

Why are people bringing up MacDonald? Did you see that AHL salary? They brought that dude in to play down there.

I don't think JMac's AHLsalary is a guarantee he'll play there all year. More of a draw to bring him in.

Having him be an AHL leader like Hunt is probably an option, and perhaps one they're leaning toward, but his ability to play F and D also gives the Avs the ability to run a 21 man lineup to save cap, and they've given big AHL contracts to guys before and still played them in the NHL.

Brad Hunt got $400/$450K in 2022, then played 47 games for the Avs, and one playoff game his first year.

Wagner got $375k in the AHL, and it's a pretty safe bet he would have played more than 13 games (plus 2 playoff games) with the Avs if he was healthy. The way Bednar talked about him after he got healthy and had his first callup, made him sound like a lock before he played a game.

Blidh got $350k and played 14 games. Probably would have played more if he played better. Had 0 points.

Tynan got $425k in the AHL and played 16 games with the Avs. Same as Blidh, he probably would have played more if he scored more than 1 point (an assist).

 

[Xspyrit]

Very smart signing for the Avs. Don’t get fooled by “he can’t make Ottawa so he must suck”. You’ll actually be shocked that a team is dumb enough to let him go and chose to play 2 of JBD, Hamonic and rookie Kleven full time instead.

Check his progression the last 2 years in terms of advanced stats. Sure he didn’t have the toughest role on the Sens but he had the best defensive metrics in Ottawa in the last 2 years overall. Unfortunately, they act like they’re preparing to play game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals when they haven’t made the playoffs for 7 years so no way they can have a smaller D-man. We just had probably the worst GM of all time (you guys had a glimpse with the Duchene fiasco) for seven years and now it seems that we have a size queen for GM.

He’s quick and smart and moves the puck swiftly out of danger. He posted positive xGF ratios despite being paired with a lot of crap partners (Josh Brown, declined Nick Holden, Travis Hamonic…)

 

[Mighty Makar]

Very smart signing for the Avs. Don’t get fooled by “he can’t make Ottawa so he must suck”. You’ll actually be shocked that a team is dumb enough to let him go and chose to play 2 of JBD, Hamonic and rookie Kleven full time instead.

Check his progression the last 2 years in terms of advanced stats. Sure he didn’t have the toughest role on the Sens but he had the best defensive metrics in Ottawa in the last 2 years overall. Unfortunately, they act like they’re preparing to play game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals when they haven’t made the playoffs for 7 years so no way they can have a smaller D-man. We just had probably the worst GM of all time (you guys had a glimpse with the Duchene fiasco) for seven years and now it seems that we have a size queen for GM.

He’s quick and smart and moves the puck swiftly out of danger. He posted positive xGF ratios despite being paired with a lot of crap partners (Josh Brown, declined Nick Holden, Travis Hamonic…)

Thanks for your input. Send us Tkachuk and we’ll send you Rantanen +.

 

[AvsMakar08]

Don't blame the coaches. It's a pile of shit because they don't have the right tools: no good defensive center who can win faceoffs, no good defensive D with size.

Brannstrom sure as f*** won't steal Makar's ice time on the PK.

Wow, was Branstrom like the top young prospect that was suppose to be like the next Erik Karlsson? I am pretty sure he was like the main piece of that trade unless I am mistaken. This is why it's not easy to trade a superstar in a player like Rants because you see that even former top prospects and first round picks can bust.

 

[LTCPain75]

Any chance Brannstrom means Kylington in another language because damn if not?!

This bloke is an absolute coward when being forechequed against, turnover machine and hot potato with puck sort of player.

Sounds like Elliott.

 

[Sea Eagles]

It goes further... here's the full left shot D depth chart

Toews
Girard
CDH
Brannstrom
Achan
Behrens
MacDonald
Rosen
Weinstein
Middleton
Aamodt

G, Brannstrom, Achan, MacDonald, and Rosen all play that similar style. Behrens has a bit more snarl, but he's not far removed from it either.

Where's Caleb Jones? I'd put him right up there too.

Also, hasn't everyone been crying out for a solid breakout d-man? Here in Brannstrom we have the perfect player for that.

We have such amazing depth now. Perfect signing for us ! C-mac is a wizard !!

 

[Perratrooper]

How similar is Brannstrom to Gulyayev?

 

[BrickNHL]

Where's Caleb Jones? I'd put him right up there too.

Also, hasn't everyone been crying out for a solid breakout d-man? Here in Brannstrom we have the perfect player for that.

We have such amazing depth now. Perfect signing for us ! C-mac is a wizard !!

Caleb is a UFA

 

[Freaky Styley]

How similar is Brannstrom to Gulyayev?

Vastly different IMO. Difference is in their skating and therefore dynamism. Gulyayev is more like Ozolinch

 

[Murzu]

He’s quick and smart and moves the puck swiftly out of danger. He posted positive xGF ratios despite being paired with a lot of crap partners (Josh Brown, declined Nick Holden, Travis Hamonic…)

I don't even want to know what a DECLINED Nick Holden is..

 

[GirardSpinorama]

The more I see Brannstrom highlights the more I see Sam Girard. Even have a lot of feistiness. He has really good anticipation, so could be a good fit for bednar's giggenpress system where he attacks as soon as the puck possession is gained by the opponent.

 

[The Kingslayer]

The Sam Girard replacement

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

League min, what's not to love? Good stuff.

 

[lionsDen]

I wish they would have used the brainstorm and CDH money on a better player

 

[the_fan]

League min, what's not to love? Good stuff.

It’s $150,000 more than league min

 

[Avs9296]

I wish they would have used the brainstorm and CDH money on a better player

But we have 2 spots to fill so how does that work?

We weren't getting much better than those 2 for a league min or close to it. You can debate a few guys here or there but 1. At that price they'll all have flaws and 2. They have to want to sign with you.