Traded Erik Brännström - D - Part III

[Sweatred]

Brann hasn’t run with the PP1 role but his opportunity hasn’t been ideal. Stutzle, Bath, and Norris have all missed games during Brann’s opportunity driving PP1.

His inability to get a puck on net is a concern but most games he’s had a weak touch somewhere in the PP setup that limits his creativity and success of the PP.

I can’t see Sanderson or Thomson doing any better in the short term.

 

[Ice-Tray]

I think he’s been up and down, but one thing is pretty clear; he’s not out there wowing anyone consistently in an elevated role.

He has some nice skills, and some detriments to his game. I find it hard to get invested either way at the moment, but I do agree that it’s hard to see where he’ll fit down the road.

Kleven is a good bet to take a 3rd paring spot, and Tompson and JBD are going to get some serious looks as soon as this summer at camp.

Branstrom just doesn’t bring the offence (yet) and he definitely doesn’t bring the defence, necessary to be a permanent fixture in future lineup creations.

Just my two sense, but man, Hamonic, Holden, and MDZ seem like they get more pucks on net than Branstrom.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

I think he’s been up and down, but one thing is pretty clear; he’s not out there wowing anyone consistently in an elevated role.

He has some nice skills, and some detriments to his game. I find it hard to get invested either way at the moment, but I do agree that it’s hard to see where he’ll fit down the road.

Kleven is a good bet to take a 3rd paring spot, and Tompson and JBD are going to get some serious looks as soon as this summer at camp.

Branstrom just doesn’t bring the offence (yet) and he definitely doesn’t bring the defence, necessary to be a permanent fixture in future lineup creations.

Just my two sense, but man, Hamonic, Holden, and MDZ seem like they get more pucks on net than Branstrom.

I agree with a lot of this but I feel you ignore where Brann truly excels at, especially in relation to the team which is transition play. And it is both an offensive and defensive trait that no one does quite like him and is increasingly one of the most valuable parts of hockey.

The shooting is frustrating. More so because he can pull off such dynamic ways to create a shot. only for it to get blocked or just not generate much. Still it is encouraging the ways he can find to shoot and getting it on net can be worked on, he is a smart player.

Kleven should not be a good bet to take the 3rd spot. He is unproven and honestly didn't even seem that special defensively at NCAA level to me. Nice hitting and can really toe drag snipe but not sure the hockey IQ is quite refined enough.

I'm not opposed to trading Brann especially for a creative forward but it is clear that this team lacks creativity and Brann is one of our more creative players.

 

[bert]

I agree with a lot of this but I feel you ignore where Brann truly excels at, especially in relation to the team which is transition play. And it is both an offensive and defensive trait that no one does quite like him and is increasingly one of the most valuable parts of hockey.

The shooting is frustrating. More so because he can pull off such dynamic ways to create a shot. only for it to get blocked or just not generate much. Still it is encouraging the ways he can find to shoot and getting it on net can be worked on, he is a smart player.

Kleven should not be a good bet to take the 3rd spot. He is unproven and honestly didn't even seem that special defensively at NCAA level to me. Nice hitting and can really toe drag snipe but not sure the hockey IQ is quite refined enough.

I'm not opposed to trading Brann especially for a creative forward but it is clear that this team lacks creativity and Brann is one of our more creative players.

Kleven and Brannstrom are going to have opposite development curves. One has already reached their physical maturity while the other is still growing into his body. On my bottom pair I want the physical player not the defensive liability.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

Kleven and Brannstrom are going to have opposite development curves. One has already reached their physical maturity while the other is still growing into his body. On my bottom pair I want the physical player not the defensive liability.

yes a lot will hinge on how Brannstrom physically develops but why are we capping Brann? He is still only 22 and can get stronger. Same age as Brady.

I would be shocked if either are at their peak physical strength.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

I’m sure he has next to zero value. Said before. His play his worth more to us than whatever mid round pick he will bring back.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

Last game was a pretty clear indication that he shouldn't be part of our d core moving forwards. He looked like a small child out there. He really isn't well suited for playoff style hockey against bigger and stronger teams.

He hasn't been able to compensate for his lack of size. He lacks poise and composure, he regularly gets beat positionally, he doesn't have strong gap control, he isn't very smart with his stick and rarely makes solid pokechecks or intercepts passes, when he gets the puck in the defensive zone he regularly panics and turns it over. Then for a supposedly offensive d man, he really doesn't generate much offensively. He barely generates scoring chances.

 

[BankStreetParade]

Last game was a pretty clear indication that he shouldn't be part of our d core moving forwards. He looked like a small child out there. He really isn't well suited for playoff style hockey against bigger and stronger teams.

He hasn't been able to compensate for his lack of size. He lacks poise and composure, he regularly gets beat positionally, he doesn't have strong gap control, he isn't very smart with his stick and rarely makes solid pokechecks or intercepts passes, when he gets the puck in the defensive zone he regularly panics and turns it over. Then for a supposedly offensive d man, he really doesn't generate much offensively. He barely generates scoring chances.

I'd be willing to let his physically inabilities slide because he could still mature and get stronger with good training programs as well as dedicated strength and conditioning routines. But his skating is such an average to below average quality in his game. Not really all that shifty, not great on his edges, not great in stop and go, average top speed, below average acceleration. You can't be undersized, physically outmatched and not be able to outskate your opponents consistently.

 

[bashbros32]

I'm wondering if we don't have the offensive creativity he *projects* to bring beyond next season.

we have Chabot as the anchor, and MDZ as a secondary guy for next year, and we hope that Sandersons 2 way game will have enough offensive creativity that he will anchor pp2. I still like the idea that Branny prefers the right side (or did at one point) and would fit well there on the bottom pairing *eventually*.

Chabot - Zub
Sanderson - Thomson/JBD (use the other as trade bait for a forward)
Klevin - Brannstrom

this D-core in 2-3 years could be pretty darn good. I feel the need to remind everyone that Brannstrom is 22, and has played barely over 100 games. Look at the last 10 years of D scoring. the 2 highest p/gp dmen under 6 feet with more than 200 gp (Makar will blow them out of the water in about 30 games) are Torey Krug and Tyson Barrie.

Krug: Undrafted, but a 2009 draft eligible player.

played 3 full seasons in college, then a full season in the AHL, then broke out for 40 points in 79 games as a rookie.

Barrie: drafted 3rd round in 2009.

played 2 full more seasons in Kelowna, then played 2 more seasons bouncing between the NHL and AHL, putting up a total of 13 points in 42 NHL games in that time, before sticking in 13-14 for 38 points in 80 games.

Brannstrom: drafted 1st round in 2017.

played 1 more season in Sweden, then has played 2 half seasons in the AHL, and then last year he played 45 games on 3 different teams across 2 different continents. and now in his 5th year he has 10 points in 42 games on a bottom 5 team.

I personally do not want to give away the potential of a Torey Krug or Tyson Barrie... especially considering his development path has been disrupted so often, with a trade, shortened seasons, a partial season in Switzerland due to the pandemic.

he may not exactly be "awe-inspiring" right now, however:

do we have the talent of the 13-14 Avalanche with Duchene, Landeskog, O'Reilly and MacKinnon? with a d partner like Erik Johnson?

or the 13-14 Bruins with Krejci, Bergeron, Iginla, Lucic, Marchand, Smith, and a D partner like Chara? No? hmm, weird.

Give Brannstrom a full year with healthy Tkachuk, Norris, Batherson, Stutzle, Brown, and let him line up with Chabot, change up our pp1 to have 2 D, and watch him pot 40+ points no problem.

Chabot - Brannstrom
Sanderson - Zub
Holden - Zaitsev
MDZ

let Thomson and JBD fight for ice time with Zaitsev, our actual worst defenseman.

 

[aragorn]

So … we want to pay a 25 year old Colin White $5.25 for a few more years becuase he has the potential to figure it out … but we want to dump a 22 year old dman who makes EL money?

I don't think we can compare the two but we can package them to upgrade somewhere else if we can find someone to take White's contract. Fiala would be ideal but I'm not sure they would want either Brann or White. Arz might take them if we compensate White's contract with a pick or retain some money.

There is no room for Brannstrom in the top 6 next year. I think it’s clear our top 6 will be

Chabot - Zub
Sanderson- Hamonic
Holden - Thomson

Del Zotto will be 7th D with JBD as the first RD call up.

Zaitsev and Brannstrom will be moved in the offseason.

Hamonic is the Zaitsev replacement.

The best D we’ve had in a long time

I don't know if Ott will be able to trade both Brannstrom & especially Zaitsev, but I hope they can, I like that lineup. The other point is that Ott will have four UFA defencemen next season, I hope they are able to re-sign Zub & I would also like to see them re-sign Hamonic for another yr. It is a concern that once they move Holden & Hamonic they will be small & soft on D, but this is what I think the org does.

Next Yr:
MDZ - replaced by Brann, if he is not traded
Holden - replaced by Kleven after the TDL when his school season is over
Hamonic - replaced by Thomson
Zaitsev - replaced by JBD likely the following yr or sooner if they buy out Zaitsev

 

[bicboi64]

I'm wondering if we don't have the offensive creativity he *projects* to bring beyond next season.

we have Chabot as the anchor, and MDZ as a secondary guy for next year, and we hope that Sandersons 2 way game will have enough offensive creativity that he will anchor pp2. I still like the idea that Branny prefers the right side (or did at one point) and would fit well there on the bottom pairing *eventually*.

Chabot - Zub
Sanderson - Thomson/JBD (use the other as trade bait for a forward)
Klevin - Brannstrom

this D-core in 2-3 years could be pretty darn good. I feel the need to remind everyone that Brannstrom is 22, and has played barely over 100 games. Look at the last 10 years of D scoring. the 2 highest p/gp dmen under 6 feet with more than 200 gp (Makar will blow them out of the water in about 30 games) are Torey Krug and Tyson Barrie.

Krug: Undrafted, but a 2009 draft eligible player.

played 3 full seasons in college, then a full season in the AHL, then broke out for 40 points in 79 games as a rookie.

Barrie: drafted 3rd round in 2009.

played 2 full more seasons in Kelowna, then played 2 more seasons bouncing between the NHL and AHL, putting up a total of 13 points in 42 NHL games in that time, before sticking in 13-14 for 38 points in 80 games.

Brannstrom: drafted 1st round in 2017.

played 1 more season in Sweden, then has played 2 half seasons in the AHL, and then last year he played 45 games on 3 different teams across 2 different continents. and now in his 5th year he has 10 points in 42 games on a bottom 5 team.

I personally do not want to give away the potential of a Torey Krug or Tyson Barrie... especially considering his development path has been disrupted so often, with a trade, shortened seasons, a partial season in Switzerland due to the pandemic.

he may not exactly be "awe-inspiring" right now, however:

do we have the talent of the 13-14 Avalanche with Duchene, Landeskog, O'Reilly and MacKinnon? with a d partner like Erik Johnson?

or the 13-14 Bruins with Krejci, Bergeron, Iginla, Lucic, Marchand, Smith, and a D partner like Chara? No? hmm, weird.

Give Brannstrom a full year with healthy Tkachuk, Norris, Batherson, Stutzle, Brown, and let him line up with Chabot, change up our pp1 to have 2 D, and watch him pot 40+ points no problem.

Chabot - Brannstrom
Sanderson - Zub
Holden - Zaitsev
MDZ

let Thomson and JBD fight for ice time with Zaitsev, our actual worst defenseman.

I agree with the gist of your post. I'd rather have Brannstrom playing 3LD (or RD to be honest) over Kleven, Zaitsev, and honestly even Sanderson unless Sanderson has zero issues being in the line up as a rookie. We can't afford to mess up his development and I feel as though Brannstrom's upside is worth the 'gamble'. I don't see too much of a difference between MDZ and Brannstrom (aside from MDZ deserving more PP time right now as Brannstrom is struggling).

His transition play is there, that isn't easy to do. Working on making plays can be coached on imo. I'd prefer to move MDZ first who has no future here before Brannstrom unless he's in a package for a top 6 forward. We can still get a lot out of a 22 year old struggling defender with loads of potential

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Last game was a pretty clear indication that he shouldn't be part of our d core moving forwards. He looked like a small child out there. He really isn't well suited for playoff style hockey against bigger and stronger teams.

He hasn't been able to compensate for his lack of size. He lacks poise and composure, he regularly gets beat positionally, he doesn't have strong gap control, he isn't very smart with his stick and rarely makes solid pokechecks or intercepts passes, when he gets the puck in the defensive zone he regularly panics and turns it over. Then for a supposedly offensive d man, he really doesn't generate much offensively. He barely generates scoring chances.

Oh it was that one game that made you decide once and for all. Good to know.

 

[Boud]

To me it's pretty clear the type of team DJ and Dorion are trying to build. They're trying to ice a big, gritty, and fast team. Thats seems to be the motto. Even guys like Stutzle and Formenton who are on the smaller side had been playing hard through their junior route. Going for Brannstrom was a bit of a headscratcher looking back at it now and knowing what they're looking for. Brannstrom just doesn't fit the motto of the team. His skating is average and he's obviously small. Management and coaching wants a playoff style team and Branny is the opposite of that player. It would probably be best for him to move on for his own growth tbh. He won't have the chance to grow his game here unless there's injuries.

Nothing wrong with keeping him but I'm pretty sure he's in and out of the lineup next season even if we find a way to get rid of Zaitsev. Holden will get more playing time as he's just a steady presence back there and I'm sure Thomson will be getting some reps.

Chabot - Hamonic
Sanderson - Zub
Holden - Zaitsev/Thomson
Brannstrom/MDZ

Not a bad idea to keep him for depth but Im sure he or his agent will ask for a trade at some point if it plays out the way it looks like it will. I'd also add I don't think he's done enough to prove he should play above Holden. That's an issue. Holden is just a regular 3rd pairing Dman with nothing flashy. If he can't beat him out of a spot that means he just isn't that valuable.

 

[Golden_Jet]

To me it's pretty clear the type of team DJ and Dorion are trying to build. They're trying to ice a big, gritty, and fast team. Thats seems to be the motto. Even guys like Stutzle and Formenton who are on the smaller side had been playing hard through their junior route. Going for Brannstrom was a bit of a headscratcher looking back at it now and knowing what they're looking for. Brannstrom just doesn't fit the motto of the team. His skating is average and he's obviously small. Management and coaching wants a playoff style team and Branny is the opposite of that player. It would probably be best for him to move on for his own growth tbh. He won't have the chance to grow his game here unless there's injuries.

Nothing wrong with keeping him but I'm pretty sure he's in and out of the lineup next season even if we find a way to get rid of Zaitsev. Holden will get more playing time as he's just a steady presence back there and I'm sure Thomson will be getting some reps.

Chabot - Hamonic
Sanderson - Zub
Holden - Zaitsev/Thomson
Brannstrom/MDZ

Not a bad idea to keep him for depth but Im sure he or his agent will ask for a trade at some point if it plays out the way it looks like it will. I'd also add I don't think he's done enough to prove he should play above Holden. That's an issue. Holden is just a regular 3rd pairing Dman with nothing flashy. If he can't beat him out of a spot that means he just isn't that valuable.

Agree with most of what you said, except I'd consider flipping Zub and Hamonic, just so Sanderson has a partner he can converse in English with on the ice, his first year as a pro.
Also not sure if Sanderson starts out on third pair, and moves up to second pair during the year, when sure he is ready.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

Oh it was that one game that made you decide once and for all. Good to know.

It stood out more significantly than it has in the past. I have held an array of opinions on Brannstrom and they change based on how he performs. Certainly I have had a more pessimistic and critical evaluation of his play but there was at least a period of time this season where I was convinced he could be good. He was better than Josh Brown and Victor Mete and he looked like he could be a bit of a power play specialist. As he played more games I started to notice more of his flaws which made me more pessimistic.

A segment of this fanbase were quite vocal that Brannstrom was being held back by who he was paired with (i.e. Josh Brown) and that with a better partner and bigger role that he would demonstrate to everyone the kind of player he could be. With the injury to Chabot he was given the chance to take on that bigger role, to get plenty of minutes, to be regularly paired with Zub and to play on the first power play. Over that period of time he has demonstrated very little to suggest that he could eventually take on such a big role. It isn't like he has flashes of excellent play and then moments of real struggles, suggesting that he is adapting to the challenge, instead there are very few flashes of that high end ability.

I think the hype around Brannstrom is relative. His advocates are assessing the quality of his play relative to Josh Brown, Victor Mete and Nikita Zaitsev. When he got called up and a chance to play he was noticeably better than them. That also lead to the argument that he should get moved up the lineup and play with a d man better than those three. The problem is that Brown and Mete aren't NHL caliber d man and Zaitsev is barely one as well at this point. Brannstrom being relatively better than those three looks good in that context but when evaluated relative to NHL caliber d men, and in particular top 4 d men, Brannstrom is significantly lacking. If we had better organizational depth this would stand out more. This issue will become more prevalent as other d prospects emerge and start getting looks on the team.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

I'd be willing to let his physically inabilities slide because he could still mature and get stronger with good training programs as well as dedicated strength and conditioning routines. But his skating is such an average to below average quality in his game. Not really all that shifty, not great on his edges, not great in stop and go, average top speed, below average acceleration. You can't be undersized, physically outmatched and not be able to outskate your opponents consistently.

There are a lot of traits he could have that would help compensate for his physical inabilities. The problem is that he doesn't excel at any of the things that would be compensatory traits. Like you mentioned about his skating. It isn't elite. He also doesn't have elite poise/composure, or elite defensive iq/gap control, positioning and stickwork. He doesn't even have elite vision and passing, particularly in the defensive zone. But certainly what you say about his skating is very significant.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

To me it's pretty clear the type of team DJ and Dorion are trying to build. They're trying to ice a big, gritty, and fast team. Thats seems to be the motto. Even guys like Stutzle and Formenton who are on the smaller side had been playing hard through their junior route. Going for Brannstrom was a bit of a headscratcher looking back at it now and knowing what they're looking for. Brannstrom just doesn't fit the motto of the team. His skating is average and he's obviously small. Management and coaching wants a playoff style team and Branny is the opposite of that player. It would probably be best for him to move on for his own growth tbh. He won't have the chance to grow his game here unless there's injuries.

Nothing wrong with keeping him but I'm pretty sure he's in and out of the lineup next season even if we find a way to get rid of Zaitsev. Holden will get more playing time as he's just a steady presence back there and I'm sure Thomson will be getting some reps.

Chabot - Hamonic
Sanderson - Zub
Holden - Zaitsev/Thomson
Brannstrom/MDZ

Not a bad idea to keep him for depth but Im sure he or his agent will ask for a trade at some point if it plays out the way it looks like it will. I'd also add I don't think he's done enough to prove he should play above Holden. That's an issue. Holden is just a regular 3rd pairing Dman with nothing flashy. If he can't beat him out of a spot that means he just isn't that valuable.

Dorion probably didn't know what he was going for at the time. Stone was traded at the trade deadline of the 2018-19 season. Guy Boucher was still the coach, even though he got fired a week after the deadline. The Sens hadn't hired DJ Smith yet. Dorion probably didn't have a clear vision for the kind of team they were looking to build and that might have lead to him targeting Brannstrom.

The Sens have gotten rid of almost all prospects prior to the 2019 draft since then. They still have Chabot and White from the 2016 draft, and it sounds like they are looking to move on from White. They have kept Drake Batherson and Alex Formenton from the 2017 draft and from the 2018 draft they still have Brady Tkachuk, and then Jacob Bernard Docker, Angus Crookshank and Kevin Mandolese. The Sens have gotten rid of all other prospects including the ones they got in the 2018-19 such as Rudolfs Balcers, Jonathan Davidsson and Vitali Abramov.

The type of organizational identity that they are looking to build likely changed around the DJ Smith hiring. It changed the focus on the kinds of players that they try to target. They still valued some of those players before but since then they have become more consistent and seem to have a clearer vision of the identity they want to build.

 

[Boud]

Agree with most of what you said, except I'd consider flipping Zub and Hamonic, just so Sanderson has a partner he can converse in English with on the ice, his first year as a pro.
Also not sure if Sanderson starts out on third pair, and moves up to second pair during the year, when sure he is ready.

That's true honestly hadn't thought about that!

 

[Adele Dazeem]

It stood out more significantly than it has in the past. I have held an array of opinions on Brannstrom and they change based on how he performs. Certainly I have had a more pessimistic and critical evaluation of his play but there was at least a period of time this season where I was convinced he could be good. He was better than Josh Brown and Victor Mete and he looked like he could be a bit of a power play specialist. As he played more games I started to notice more of his flaws which made me more pessimistic.

A segment of this fanbase were quite vocal that Brannstrom was being held back by who he was paired with (i.e. Josh Brown) and that with a better partner and bigger role that he would demonstrate to everyone the kind of player he could be. With the injury to Chabot he was given the chance to take on that bigger role, to get plenty of minutes, to be regularly paired with Zub and to play on the first power play. Over that period of time he has demonstrated very little to suggest that he could eventually take on such a big role. It isn't like he has flashes of excellent play and then moments of real struggles, suggesting that he is adapting to the challenge, instead there are very few flashes of that high end ability.

I think the hype around Brannstrom is relative. His advocates are assessing the quality of his play relative to Josh Brown, Victor Mete and Nikita Zaitsev. When he got called up and a chance to play he was noticeably better than them. That also lead to the argument that he should get moved up the lineup and play with a d man better than those three. The problem is that Brown and Mete aren't NHL caliber d man and Zaitsev is barely one as well at this point. Brannstrom being relatively better than those three looks good in that context but when evaluated relative to NHL caliber d men, and in particular top 4 d men, Brannstrom is significantly lacking. If we had better organizational depth this would stand out more. This issue will become more prevalent as other d prospects emerge and start getting looks on the team.

Let's address the statement in red. First of all, it has been a dozen or so games since Chabot's injury - not nearly enough time to make judgement calls. If you are accessing his lack of excellence based on these games; then I (or any other supporter of Brannstrom) could point to last seasons' run of games where he was finally given the opportunity to play. And play he did. He was damn good - and only 21 at the time.

On to the the statement in green. If other d prospects in our pipeline (Kleven, Thompson, JBD) are short changed the way Branny has; we can just go ahead and write them off too. Up and down the AHL with no clear development path is a recipe for a disaster; and one of the main reasons why Ottawa has failed to develop defenseman.

I've already said that I've conceded to the fact that Brannstrom's days in Ottawa are over (he has asked for a trade allegedly); the problem is the deep rooted issue with the team failing to grow fringe prospects (top-4/6 D) for over a decade.

I also think a lot of people on here are going to get a big dose of reality when Sanderson plays. It's going to take time for young defenseman to establish themselves. Look at Ekblad/Dahlin. We've never had D prospects like those two and they took years to become who they are.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Dorion probably didn't know what he was going for at the time. Stone was traded at the trade deadline of the 2018-19 season. Guy Boucher was still the coach, even though he got fired a week after the deadline. The Sens hadn't hired DJ Smith yet. Dorion probably didn't have a clear vision for the kind of team they were looking to build and that might have lead to him targeting Brannstrom.

The Sens have gotten rid of almost all prospects prior to the 2019 draft since then. They still have Chabot and White from the 2016 draft, and it sounds like they are looking to move on from White. They have kept Drake Batherson and Alex Formenton from the 2017 draft and from the 2018 draft they still have Brady Tkachuk, and then Jacob Bernard Docker, Angus Crookshank and Kevin Mandolese. The Sens have gotten rid of all other prospects including the ones they got in the 2018-19 such as Rudolfs Balcers, Jonathan Davidsson and Vitali Abramov.

The type of organizational identity that they are looking to build likely changed around the DJ Smith hiring. It changed the focus on the kinds of players that they try to target. They still valued some of those players before but since then they have become more consistent and seem to have a clearer vision of the identity they want to build.

If we're hitching our wagon to DJ Smith hockey; we're not winning shit - ever.

As far as I'm concerned, once new ownership takes reigns in the next year or two(max); they will put into place a new GM.

 

[Sweatred]

Branny was great tonight -

 

[SlapJack]

Branny was great tonight -

Guess this thread will be quiet for a few days until his next bad game then

 

[Yak]

Guess this thread will be quiet for a few days until his next bad game then

One good game don't mean $hit. However since Chabot injury we have had a really good look at him playing 1st line minute's for people to form opinions. Mine is he needs a a lot of work still.

 

[OD99]

Why did that first assist get taken away? Certainly looked like he touched it.

That's the sort of luck he has had points wise.

Mete was brutal...whoever said Brann should sit for him missed badly.

 

[HSF]

Branny was fireee