Erik Brannstrom is a legit NHL level puck moving D

[Rowlet]

But guys like Makar (and Hughes) are who you really want to be giving those o zone starts to. I wouldn’t want a Brannstrom higher than a Hughes in that stat. That’s not what my bottom pairing defensemen are for.

Right but again, the vast majority of shifts are started on the fly, and zone starts are not a good argument, and haven't been since like 2016.

The difference between 55% and 70% is like... a couple per game.

 

[benfranklin]

He is still a bottom pairing guy on every other team in the league. Because the Nucks have a terrible bottom 4, doesnt make Brannstrom good.

 

[benfranklin]

Right but again, the vast majority of shifts are started on the fly, and zone starts are not a good argument, and haven't been since like 2016.

The difference between 55% and 70% is like... a couple per game.

For dmen, the vast majority of on the fly starts are dump ins where the other team is starting with the puck. So anytime a defenseman can start with his team potentially having the puck is a huge advantage stats wise.

 

[tucker3434]

Right but again, the vast majority of shifts are started on the fly, and zone starts are not a good argument, and haven't been since like 2016.

The difference between 55% and 70% is like... a couple per game.

I wouldn’t want him at 55% either unless I had a shutdown/DFD 2nd pairing. Just seems like a unique circumstance where’d you throw your bottom pairing guys out in the o zone that often. Long term, I think he’ll need to pump up his production and carve out a middle pairing role if he wants to stick around the NHL.

 

[ijuka]

do all canadian teams' fans make random threads on main boards when one of their players is doing somewhat decently?

 

[Rowlet]

For dmen, the vast majority of on the fly starts are dump ins where the other team is starting with the puck. So anytime a defenseman can start with his team potentially having the puck is a huge advantage stats wise.View attachment 938792

I know, you love zone starts, but they're not good measurements. I'm not going to keep talking about them with you, we moved past them almost ten years ago.

I wouldn’t want him at 55% either unless I had a shutdown/DFD 2nd pairing. Just seems like a unique circumstance where’d you throw your bottom pairing guys out in the o zone that often. Long term, I think he’ll need to pump up his production and carve out a middle pairing role if he wants to stick around the NHL.

55% is what Hughes gets, but again the difference is only a couple per game and not that relevent in the long run.

 

[benfranklin]

I know, you love zone starts, but they're not good measurements. I'm not going to keep talking about them with you, we moved past them almost ten years ago.



55% is what Hughes gets, but again the difference is only a couple per game and not that relevent in the long run.

No you read one article and assumed its not a point of discussion anymore. You're wrong and they have proven to heavily favor all 5 players who get more of them analytically. Every point is extremely important and if 5-10 of your season points come off an offensive draw, that could easily be 5-10% of your total points that you had because of your o zone start. Its important to factor in.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

I'm glad he's doing well. He was always clearly a skilled player for sens. I think he just did not at all fit in the Avs system and I'm glad they sent him somewhere he could flourish instead of square peg/round holing him all year.

 

[Rowlet]

No you read one article and assumed its not a point of discussion anymore. You're wrong and they have proven to heavily favor all 5 players who get more of them analytically. Every point is extremely important and if 5-10 of your season points come off an offensive draw, that could easily be 5-10% of your total points that you had because of your o zone start. Its important to factor in.

that's cool

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

With the amount of disrespect Brannstrom gets it's a worthy thread.

People were saying he was an AHLer, will be in the SHL in a year, worthless etc.

Instead he's a valuable part of a playoff team and played a role in keeping them a playoff team.

 

[Sensinitis]

Always liked him and found he was an NHLer despite his shortcomings (pun intended).

Glad that he seems to have found a home in Vancouver.

He's a very efficient puck mover, just needs to work on his shot a bit more. Maybe he's done so over the summer.

 

[biturbo19]

I mean, it's been a pleasant surprise that he's turned out to be a competent bottom-pairing defenceman for the Canucks. He's definitely seemed to find a good fit in Tocchet/Foote's system. It seems to suit his game. He brings an ounce of much-needed puck-moving ability to an otherwise mostly bereft Canucks Bottom-4D.

But he's still not that great. He still can't regularly play more than fairly soft bottom-pairing minutes without his flaws getting exposed badly. He's still small and gets pushed around in the corners and around the net, despite the willingness to engage. He's still kinda slow and combined with his small reach, tends to keep pretty terrible gaps that cede the blueline or get him burned...without the recovery speed to make up for it.


He's basically "found money", getting an actual NHL defenceman out of what was purely a cap dump trade. But he's not exactly "brag worthy". He's still more or less what he was in Ottawa, where he also played a ton of games.

 

[benfranklin]

Hes a bottom pairing/7th D on most teams. Good for him finding a fit, but do we really need a thread every time he scores?

 

[Golden_Jet]

Amazing how VAN got him

Was mistreated and hated by DJ Smith in Ottawa for simply not being 6’2 200 lbs

Was dumped by COL for Poolman so they could active LTIR

Now he has found a home in VAN under Toecchet’s system

Just doesn’t skate fast for a puck mover.
Always below the 50% percentile on NHL edge.

 

[IComeInPeace]

Last nights numbers (courtesy of Daniel Wagner):

Shot attempts were 18-to-8 for the Canucks when Brännström was on the ice at 5-on-5, shots on goal were 8-to-3, and goals were 2-to-1, with the one goal against being the unlucky bounce in the first period.

…but, he saw the least ice time of all 6 d-men dressed for the game (12:52).

The 14:56 of ice time he’s averaging with the Canucks thus far is the lowest in his career since his rookie season in 2019-20.

Let’s see if he can carve out a deeper role.

 

[OtherThingsILike]

do all canadian teams' fans make random threads on main boards when one of their players is doing somewhat decently?

Yes.
It's okay, though, because most of the time it's just a small sample size where the player then falls back down to earth, but every once in a while, it's a clue to see who is going to become the next star player.
Plus, as a Penguins fan, we like doing that, too. Expect to see one about Philip Tomasino if he keeps his good play up in the next few games.

 

[RickyLafleur]

I mean, it's been a pleasant surprise that he's turned out to be a competent bottom-pairing defenceman for the Canucks. He's definitely seemed to find a good fit in Tocchet/Foote's system. It seems to suit his game. He brings an ounce of much-needed puck-moving ability to an otherwise mostly bereft Canucks Bottom-4D.

But he's still not that great. He still can't regularly play more than fairly soft bottom-pairing minutes without his flaws getting exposed badly. He's still small and gets pushed around in the corners and around the net, despite the willingness to engage. He's still kinda slow and combined with his small reach, tends to keep pretty terrible gaps that cede the blueline or get him burned...without the recovery speed to make up for it.


He's basically "found money", getting an actual NHL defenceman out of what was purely a cap dump trade. But he's not exactly "brag worthy". He's still more or less what he was in Ottawa, where he also played a ton of games.

He's always been a competent bottom 4 guy, its just that our coaches hated him after giving up one of the best players in the NHL for him

 

[hangman005]

If he were on Vegas we would probably trade him for the next shiny new...... oh wait

 

[BCNate]

Brannstrom has been good for us, and we got him for free. Solid pickup for Allvin. At the very least he has filled in well enough for us to hold off on making a trade for a Dman. With the team accruing cap space, the longer we can hold off, the more cap we will have to spend.

 

[TheNewEra]

he is a #5 dman, that is short. He played at times in ottawa's top 4 when there was an injury and didnt look out of place then but that was also because he had a solid defensive partner.

I think he is a solid #5 with the potential to be a lower end #4 but unless coaches can look past him being short he is going to be a #6/7

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

That's branstrom.

Decent player. Looks great. Doesn't produce. Too small to be a shut down defenseman.

Can absolutely carve out a decent career for himself, but probably never breaks out of that two way bottom pair mold.

Wouls have been happy to keep him in ottawa for a million or so, but dorion shot the team in the foot by giving him a multimillion dollar contract.

Happy that he's doing well enough in Vancouver. Seems like a genuinely nice dude.

 

[brock hughes007]

He has been a blessing.Just keep building confidence and working hard.He has not been a negative that's for sure.Unlike some other dmen on the team.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

That's branstrom.

Decent player. Looks great. Doesn't produce. Too small to be a shut down defenseman.

Can absolutely carve out a decent career for himself, but probably never breaks out of that two way bottom pair mold.

Wouls have been happy to keep him in ottawa for a million or so, but dorion shot the team in the foot by giving him a multimillion dollar contract.

Happy that he's doing well enough in Vancouver. Seems like a genuinely nice dude.

Except he’s scored so timely goals this far