Prospect Info: Sens Board Prospects Ranking 2023 #13

[aragorn]

Agreed with most of the rest but disagree with "unknown" here. What is unknown is more if he can be more than 3rd pairing. I would personally play him with Jake Sanderson, best way to make him find COMFORT in the NHL, which is THE thing most young D-men struggle with for a while at first.



The only reason a guy like Hamonic didn't get destroyed (statistically) out there is because he was paired with Jake Sanderson. Being paired with Erik Brannstrom would have made him look good as well.

Put 2 Hamonics together and the whole shift is in your zone and neutral zone, like a survival test. Forwards have about 45 seconds per shift, you want them to at least have a scoring chance or two. If your defensive pair spends TOO MUCH TIME defending, then your forwards get frustrated. That is why PUCK MOVERS are highly valued in TODAY's game.

What do you think the opposing team really wants? Face a defense that will block shots, battle in corners, in front of the net, flip the puck thought the boards/glass BUT leaves you with POSSESSION all that time, OR do you think they'd rather have quick mobile defense that will retrieve the puck quickly and move it swiftly with CONTROL for a quick counter attack?

That is also why expected goals will be more favorable to (good) puck movers than "old school" D-men. The game has changed, evolved, it's about speed and quickness now.

Look, the best current D-men in the league defensively are the likes of Jacob Slavin, Adam Pelech, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin...

Slavin and Pelech have size but only Pelech is really physical, he's a rare type because he does everything well in the defensive zone. But look at Spurgeon for example... 5'9... Do you realize how GOOD this guy is? Well, the thing is Brannstrom has been trending really well and who knows, maybe he hasn't finished developing. It took time for Spurgeon to become an ELITE 2-way D-man

They already have at least 3 PMD & need some size & strength on the back end. I completely disagree with your assessment comme d'habitude. You always look at these guys as indiuviduals & your stats are always as individuals & you consistently miss the bigger picture & that is what the team needs & how the team plays as a whole, it's a team game afterall. I do agree with JBD who could also be another guy who can skate the puck out as can Kleven as we saw last yr for a few games. It's the same arguement guys had at the draft when they didn't want Tkachuk because he wasn't flashy enough, wasn't a great skater & didn't score much in college. They didn't see or care about all the other benefits a player like that brings to a team & how the other players play better with a guy like that on their team. some still don't. Kleven will change our defence in the same way, he will make big hits, he will block shots, clear the front of the net & win board battles, his size & strength is what the Sens need on D.

They have plenty of guys who can skate the puck out on D, they need guys who can stop it from going into the net, clear the front of the net, block shots & drop them when necessary. You cannot have six PMD you need a couple of defensive defencemen & every team has them. Hamonic is here for another yr or so & it's most likely he will be slowly fazed out of the lineup if someone else can play his role most likely JBD or Kleven. People dismiss Hamonic's 21 pts on D but that is quite the accomplishment for a defensive D regardless of who he plays with. Zub will most likely be the next D they faze out because he makes too much & they have cheaper replacements. IMO the team would be better much better defensively with Kleven & Hamonic in the lineup over Brannstrom because they need to reduce their goals against.

 

[OD99]

They already have at least 3 PMD & need some size & strength on the back end.

Those 3 will play in the top 4 along with Zub, who also has the poise to look for a proper breakout before going off the glass.

You always look at these guys as indiuviduals & your stats are always as individuals & you consistently miss the bigger picture & that is what the team needs & how the team plays as a whole, it's a team game afterall.

This is the exact same reason you shit on Branny all the time. You look at him as an individual, size him up and go back to your twowordoneword of, "small and weak".

It's the same arguement guys had at the draft when they didn't want Tkachuk because he wasn't flashy enough, wasn't a great skater & didn't score much in college. They didn't see or care about all the other benefits a player like that brings to a team & how the other players play better with a guy like that on their team. some still don't.

Same argument for Brannstrom. He isn't flashy, and somehow you miss how often he comes away with the puck, or just as importantly, how often he gets to the puck first and transitions it before a forecheck can even begin. Branny makes the guys on the ice better.

People dismiss Hamonic's 21 pts on D but that is quite the accomplishment for a defensive D regardless of who he plays with.

No doubt. It is also his highest production in 8 years.

Zub will most likely be the next D they faze out because he makes too much & they have cheaper replacements. IMO the team would be better much better defensively with Kleven & Hamonic in the lineup over Brannstrom because they need to reduce their goals against.

The statistics show Brannstrom is a net positive on the ice! He isn't the reason the Senators give up goals.

Agreed with most of the rest but disagree with "unknown" here. What is unknown is more if he can be more than 3rd pairing. I would personally play him with Jake Sanderson, best way to make him find COMFORT in the NHL, which is THE thing most young D-men struggle with for a while at first.

I meant an unknown as to his ceiling, so right there with you.

Don't agree pairing him with Sanderson is the best move for the team. JBD needs time to be a good to very good 3rd pairing guy and we need our top 4 D in the top 4.

Maybe as the season goes on and JBD proves he can handle a bigger workload it would help the team to spread things out a bit and have Zub down with Brannstrom but that is a reach I think and probably only happens if the team isn't faring well.

 

[Xspyrit]

I meant an unknown as to his ceiling, so right there with you.

Don't agree pairing him with Sanderson is the best move for the team. JBD needs time to be a good to very good 3rd pairing guy and we need our top 4 D in the top 4.

Maybe as the season goes on and JBD proves he can handle a bigger workload it would help the team to spread things out a bit and have Zub down with Brannstrom but that is a reach I think and probably only happens if the team isn't faring well.

I see but look at what it would give :

Chabot - Chychrun

The best partners in Chabot's NHL career have been DeMelo and Zub, by FAR. I think he needs a bit of help. Reduce his minutes/responsibilities and ask Chychrun to focus on defense (he would still get his fair share of points, particularly on the PP). Have Chabot play to his STRENGHTS, this is KEY to our season.

Sanderson - JBD

Jake is sooooooo good he could make my grandmother look good in the NHL. Seriously, they already know each others, Sanderson helps JBD get comfy in the NHL very fast IMO.

Brannstrom - Zub

That pairing has shown great chemistry before, IMO they are even fantastic together, they had 58.6 xG% last season. They only gave up 3 goals against in 131.5 ES minutes. Just need Brannstrom to find a way to transform this created offense in more points.


The pairings would roughly play the same amount of time at ES, Chabot, Chychrun, Sanderson and Brannstrom getting some PP time and Sanderson, Zub and JBD getting a lot PK time. Could even dress Hamonic for 7th D and play him a lot on the PK (might have to go 11 forwards 7 D-men to save some cap). Hamonic could share some shifts with JBD playing with Sanderson

In the end, JBD ends up with the 6th most TOI/GP among Sens D-men so no worries here

 

[OD99]

I see but look at what it would give :

Chabot - Chychrun

The best partners in Chabot's NHL career have been DeMelo and Zub, by FAR. I think he needs a bit of help. Reduce his minutes/responsibilities and ask Chychrun to focus on defense (he would still get his fair share of points, particularly on the PP). Have Chabot play to his STRENGHTS, this is KEY to our season.

Sanderson - JBD

Jake is sooooooo good he could my grandmother look good in the NHL. Seriously, they already know each others, Sanderson helps JBD get comfy in the NHL very fast IMO.

Brannstrom - Zub

That pairing has shown great chemistry before, IMO they are even fantastic together, they had 58.6 xG% last season. They only gave up 3 goals against in 131.5 ES minutes. Just need Brannstrom to find a way to transform this created offense in more points.


The pairings would roughly play the same amount of time at ES, Chabot, Chychrun, Sanderson and Brannstrom getting some PP time and Sanderson, Zub and JBD getting a lot PK time. Could even dress Hamonic for 7th D and play him a lot on the PK (might have to go 11 forwards 7 D-men to save some cap). Hamonic could share some shifts with JBD playing with Sanderson

In the end, JBD ends up with the 6th most TOI/GP among Sens D-men so no worries here

I can see it but although I have all the faith in the world in Sanderson I just can't see them doing that to start the season.

If we can make that work at some point, I agree that is a very nice distribution. I would like to see Brann play with someone who can cover for him so he can try to press the offence a bit more too.

 

[Snowwy]

You're not curious, you're not a fan of me as a poster, and are trying for a gotcha, same as the Cam O'Neil posts; more power to you. You've taken a handful of your sparse posts to point you don't like my postings.

If you're going to try an make me look dumb, have at it. But you should try another route, because this one, the same with Cam O'Neil where you asked if I watched him play which had nothing to do with what was being talked about, is an incredibly strange way of getting to that point, and is working extremely poorly.

Like Devilish said above, it was a completely innocuous statement, like the hundreds of posts everyone has made in the prospect ranking threads.

And yes, I have seen both play this year, which is an incredibly easy thing to do, and has almost nothing to do with the original post

Could have asked why I liked him more than Guenette, or Boucher, or Crookshank, or Thomson, etc. but they all play in NA, so there was no possible GOTCHA moment.

Very odd. I don’t even recognize your username, just a good old chuckle at your post here. I appreciate the good memory that you have though.

I think it’s obvious why Donovan is ahead of Guenette and Thompson (if you forget about positional value), so no need to ask but go for it, if you want. Feel free to tell us though? I think Boucher is above Donovan personally, but no one needs to discuss that, there are hundreds of posts about Boucher, it’s a boring topic until he is healthy - if that ever happens (hopefully this year).

What’s an interesting topic is why do you have Nordberg below Donovan?

 

[PlayersLtd]

I see but look at what it would give :

Chabot - Chychrun

The best partners in Chabot's NHL career have been DeMelo and Zub, by FAR. I think he needs a bit of help. Reduce his minutes/responsibilities and ask Chychrun to focus on defense (he would still get his fair share of points, particularly on the PP). Have Chabot play to his STRENGHTS, this is KEY to our season.

Sanderson - JBD

Jake is sooooooo good he could my grandmother look good in the NHL. Seriously, they already know each others, Sanderson helps JBD get comfy in the NHL very fast IMO.

Brannstrom - Zub

That pairing has shown great chemistry before, IMO they are even fantastic together, they had 58.6 xG% last season. They only gave up 3 goals against in 131.5 ES minutes. Just need Brannstrom to find a way to transform this created offense in more points.


The pairings would roughly play the same amount of time at ES, Chabot, Chychrun, Sanderson and Brannstrom getting some PP time and Sanderson, Zub and JBD getting a lot PK time. Could even dress Hamonic for 7th D and play him a lot on the PK (might have to go 11 forwards 7 D-men to save some cap). Hamonic could share some shifts with JBD playing with Sanderson

In the end, JBD ends up with the 6th most TOI/GP among Sens D-men so no worries here

Even distribution should not be the goal. Establishing a heirarchy of pairings is not a bad thing considering not all players are created equally. There are 4 good to very good D in that group and two average to good D (and thats being generous to JBD since his 32 career GP makes him unproven). Equal ES distribution is taking away from our strengths.

I don't like a Brannstrom and JBD pairing at all and I'm in the camp that think Brann and Hamonic as a better fit, especially considering what Hamonic brings on the PK.

But with those pairings you suggest as a theory (I like them for the most part) I would go with near balanced ice time for the top two pairs at ES (around 20-21 minutes) and the bottom pair at around 14. Add pp and pk time in and I think we should be targeting a spread that looks like this:

Chabot 24
Chychrun 23
Sanderson 22
Zub 21
Brannstrom 17
JBD 15

+ - a couple minutes depending on the special teams that night.

Anyhow, point is I don't think our top D should be even with our bottom pair at ES. That isn't a slight on Brannstrom it's simply a luxury of riches. We have 4 very good D that are better so they should be on the ice more. This is especially true considering their chemistry with the forward group in the offensive zone which is going to be important considering DJ's overall game plan will be a high puck movement, high scoring offence in the O zone. JBD especially, but even Brannstrom aren't perfect in that game play.

 

[BondraTime]

Very odd. I don’t even recognize your username, just a good old chuckle at your post here. I appreciate the good memory that you have though.

I think it’s obvious why Donovan is ahead of Guenette and Thompson (if you forget about positional value), so no need to ask but go for it, if you want. Feel free to tell us though? I think Boucher is above Donovan personally, but no one needs to discuss that, there are hundreds of posts about Boucher, it’s a boring topic until he is healthy - if that ever happens (hopefully this year).

What’s an interesting topic is why do you have Nordberg below Donovan?

Ahh, my mistake...

Donovan was very raw in his 16-17 year old seasons, began to put it together this year. Is a great skater; has great size; moves the puck well exiting the zone; great QB on the PP, though don’t see him on PP1 in the NHL, plays a physical game down low; great pedigree and bloodlines; Most importantly, has great hockey IQ and on ice awareness. He can see the plays developing and understands what he needs to do and where he needs to go. Will be a fringe guy for the WJ team in December. Not the highest potential, but I think he's got the easiest route to reach it.

Nordberg is a unit. Unbelievable size and athleticism, and great skating to go along with that size. Very physical, initiating contact in all 3 zones. Has skill with the puck on his stick, and can make a pass out of the zone, though neither was on display in the SHL but was highlighted more in the Allsvansken. Was not too impressed with the decision making or on ice awareness, though playing pro would make that stand out more than playing against peers. Skates himself into trouble instead of a simple play. Will be a fringe guy for the WJ team in December. Has high potential if he can simplify and improve his decision making, I don't think that's going to prove to be an easy feat.

It's not as though it's strange to think Donovan is above Nordberg, Donovan was ranked higher everywhere prior to the draft, and had a breakout season in Hamilton, and Nordberg never had a great season jumping between 5 different teams. And no, I'm not using draft rankings or stats to form an opinion.

Ottawa had Nordberg higher, for sure, and that's all that matters to the Sens. Doesn't make a lick of difference what anyone else thinks, that's what the message board is for, giving opinions. Things can change in a season or two as we see every year.

 

[Xspyrit]

They already have at least 3 PMD & need some size & strength on the back end. I completely disagree with your assessment comme d'habitude. You always look at these guys as indiuviduals & your stats are always as individuals & you consistently miss the bigger picture & that is what the team needs & how the team plays as a whole, it's a team game afterall. I do agree with JBD who could also be another guy who can skate the puck out as can Kleven as we saw last yr for a few games.

Agreed that we are more than fine in PMDs, I am not talking about team needs though, I am SOLELY talking about your statement "Hamonic had more pts than Brannstrom last yr, also plays a strong defensive game" which seems to imply (at least that's how me and OD99 have interpreted it) that Hamonic is a better hockey player (well, also heavily influenced by your post history regarding Brannstrom)

So based on the sentence I have quoted, yes I am talking about these players on an individual level. Of course you are going to "completely disagree with my assessment comme d'habitude" if you get lost in translation

Also please stop with these little "you consistently miss the bigger picture"... I am not missing anything since this was not the subject at all... comme d'habitude tu es rapidement hors sujet

It's the same arguement guys had at the draft when they didn't want Tkachuk because he wasn't flashy enough, wasn't a great skater & didn't score much in college. They didn't see or care about all the other benefits a player like that brings to a team & how the other players play better with a guy like that on their team. some still don't. Kleven will change our defence in the same way, he will make big hits, he will block shots, clear the front of the net & win board battles, his size & strength is what the Sens need on D.

They have plenty of guys who can skate the puck out on D, they need guys who can stop it from going into the net, clear the front of the net, block shots & drop them when necessary. You cannot have six PMD you need a couple of defensive defencemen & every team has them. Hamonic is here for another yr or so & it's most likely he will be slowly fazed out of the lineup if someone else can play his role most likely JBD or Kleven. People dismiss Hamonic's 21 pts on D but that is quite the accomplishment for a defensive D regardless of who he plays with. Zub will most likely be the next D they faze out because he makes too much & they have cheaper replacements. IMO the team would be better much better defensively with Kleven & Hamonic in the lineup over Brannstrom because they need to reduce their goals against.

For the record, I wasn't part at all of the posters who were not happy with Brady Tkachuk. I did my own scouting and was quite satisfied with the pick. Not sure what it has to do with Brannstrom vs Hamonic though (who don't even play the same side)

And are you trying to convince me about Kleven? I talked about it many times but I was among the firsts to be high on him and highly defended the pick when it was made as I was hearing that Montreal was going to take him if we didn't move up and also when an internet "scout" said goalies move the puck better. I was also saying that he had more potential than a "physical 3rd pairing D-man"

So yes in my future plans, I have Kleven over Brannstrom and as soon as next season or maybe even later this season. I want Brannstrom traded the right way though... I'd want a similar young rising 2-way forward, a guy like Tolvanen for example (too late in this case)

But again, all of this has NOTHING to do with the subject at hand.

People dismiss Hamonic's 21 pts on D but that is quite the accomplishment for a defensive D regardless of who he plays with.

16 of his 21 pts came playing with Sanderson, Chychrun, Brannstrom and Chabot. Do you think it was Hamonic's own doing most of the time? He still has a good shot though so yes he contributed with that

If Brannstrom was paired with Sanderson all season and Hamonic with Holden, you'd have seen very different results. But not possible though as an Holden-Hamonic pairing was not NHL level.

IMO the team would be better much better defensively with Kleven & Hamonic in the lineup over Brannstrom because they need to reduce their goals against.

Ok so a LHD + a RHD would reduce the goals against vs just one LHD? Are they allowed to both patrol one side of the ice? What does that even mean?

And I am sorry but your bias against Brannstrom is WAY too heavy.

Brannstrom GA/60 : 2.52 - xGA/60 : 2.38
Hamonic GA/60 : 3.26 - xGA/60 : 2.98

Hamonic plays with Sanderson, Brannstrom played with a declined Holden

 

[Xspyrit]

Even distribution should not be the goal. Establishing a heirarchy of pairings is not a bad thing considering not all players are created equally. There are 4 good to very good D in that group and two average to good D (and thats being generous to JBD since his 32 career GP makes him unproven). Equal ES distribution is taking away from our strengths.

I don't like a Brannstrom and JBD pairing at all and I'm in the camp that think Brann and Hamonic as a better fit, especially considering what Hamonic brings on the PK.

But with those pairings you suggest as a theory (I like them for the most part) I would go with near balanced ice time for the top two pairs at ES (around 20-21 minutes) and the bottom pair at around 14. Add pp and pk time in and I think we should be targeting a spread that looks like this:

Chabot 24
Chychrun 23
Sanderson 22
Zub 21
Brannstrom 17
JBD 15

+ - a couple minutes depending on the special teams that night.

Anyhow, point is I don't think our top D should be even with our bottom pair at ES. That isn't a slight on Brannstrom it's simply a luxury of riches. We have 4 very good D that are better so they should be on the ice more. This is especially true considering their chemistry with the forward group in the offensive zone which is going to be important considering DJ's overall game plan will be a high puck movement, high scoring offence in the O zone. JBD especially, but even Brannstrom aren't perfect in that game play.

Well it doesn't have to be exact even distribution but special teams and game situations would take care of the ice-time. At ES, you roll your 3 pairings without stressing and then manage them depending on the situation (down by a goal, up by a goal, end of periods, zone face-offs, outcoach the other team, etc)

Brannstrom and JBD should not be a pairing, not that they would be bad but JBD needs either an elite talent like Sanderson or someone stronger and more experienced than Brannstrom. I also hope Brannstrom won't be paired with Hamonic, it'd be great to actually pair him with someone good and up his trade value (we need to get a good young forward to help offset the fact that our pool has been getting weak very quickly). Playing him on Sanderson's RD could also be an option if they were "open" to the idea

Agreed with Brannstrom and Hamonic on the PK though.

The TOI spread makes sense too, roughly a minute more or less for some of them

But yeah I should have mentioned the game situations which means that the top D pairings would not be even with our bottom pair at ES. There's always a lot to say in hockey, it's a game with a million different aspects. hard to say everything in a single post.

 

[PlayersLtd]

Well it doesn't have to be exact even distribution but special teams and game situations would take care of the ice-time. At ES, you roll your 3 pairings without stressing and then manage them depending on the situation (down by a goal, up by a goal, end of periods, zone face-offs, outcoach the other team, etc)

Brannstrom and JBD should not be a pairing, not that they would be bad but JBD needs either an elite talent like Sanderson or someone stronger and more experienced than Brannstrom. I also hope Brannstrom won't be paired with Hamonic, it'd be great to actually pair him with someone good and up his trade value (we need to get a good young forward to help offset the fact that our pool has been getting weak very quickly). Playing him on Sanderson's RD could also be an option if they were "open" to the idea

Agreed with Brannstrom and Hamonic on the PK though.

The TOI spread makes sense too, roughly a minute more or less for some of them

But yeah I should have mentioned the game situations which means that the top D pairings would not be even with our bottom pair at ES. There's always a lot to say in hockey, it's a game with a million different aspects. hard to say everything in a single post.

Thought you said JBD and Brann should be a pairing and that threw me off, my bad I misread. But JBD for all the promise he has will still need to be sheltered and should be our 7th, assuming he beats Matinpalo, Guenette and Thomson out. I don't see him playing big enough minutes to pair up anywhere but the third unit and since Hamonic probably has that spot locked in I think JBD is going to rotate in or have to wait for injuries.

I actually really like Hamonic-Brannstrom as a third pair other than the reason you state, Brannstrom could be brilliantly showcased with Zub or Chychrun (I say those two because if he is being showcased he should play his strong side).

But even still, I want Hamonic in the lineup and Brann is the natural fit with him and I just don't see a situation where JBD slots in with one of our top D, that would be holding back 2 elite top pairs imo. Hence JBD being best suited at the 7th for now.

At the end of the day however the reality is that injuries will happen and Brannstrom will be the one to benefit most (and JBD is likely the one to come off the bench). He will get his showcase and I am certain he will build his value up handsomely. It will suck to see him go but he is the odd one out. If we wait as long as the TDL he could possibly fetch a first and the best part is that with Kleven waiting in the wings we probably go into the playoffs with an even better D corps than earlier in the season and thats not factoring a potential deadline pick up like Tanev.

Turning Brannstrom into a 1st thanks to patience, good development and the luxury of riches on D would be a small coup for PD, no...?

 

[Xspyrit]

Thought you said JBD and Brann should be a pairing and that threw me off, my bad I misread. But JBD for all the promise he has will still need to be sheltered and should be our 7th, assuming he beats Matinpalo, Guenette and Thomson out. I don't see him playing big enough minutes to pair up anywhere but the third unit and since Hamonic probably has that spot locked in I think JBD is going to rotate in or have to wait for injuries.

I actually really like Hamonic-Brannstrom as a third pair other than the reason you state, Brannstrom could be brilliantly showcased with Zub or Chychrun (I say those two because if he is being showcased he should play his strong side).

But even still, I want Hamonic in the lineup and Brann is the natural fit with him and I just don't see a situation where JBD slots in with one of our top D, that would be holding back 2 elite top pairs imo. Hence JBD being best suited at the 7th for now.

At the end of the day however the reality is that injuries will happen and Brannstrom will be the one to benefit most (and JBD is likely the one to come off the bench). He will get his showcase and I am certain he will build his value up handsomely. It will suck to see him go but he is the odd one out. If we wait as long as the TDL he could possibly fetch a first and the best part is that with Kleven waiting in the wings we probably go into the playoffs with an even better D corps than earlier in the season and thats not factoring a potential deadline pick up like Tanev.

Turning Brannstrom into a 1st thanks to patience, good development and the luxury of riches on D would be a small coup for PD, no...?

JBD is still young and no that much pro/NHL experience, so yes he will have to be brought up progressively. No matter how the pairings are, him and Hamonic will be 6th and 7th. Who will be 6th and who will be 7th will depend on how JBD progress and how Hamonic declines. I think the best to "shelter" JBD and help him get accustomated in the NHL would be to play him with Sanderson. It wouldn't hold Sanderson back at all don't worry. Look how good he looked in his 20 y/o rookie season despite having to carry Hamonic all year.

It would be surprising to see any Matinpalo, Guenette and Thomson claiming a regular spot considering the 1-way contracts of JBD/Hamonic. Not sure what will happen with Thomson but looks like we'll lose him on waivers as there's not even cap space to carry him in the squad. Getting nothing from trading Duchene is kinda catastrophic after giving up Turris (who was worth Girard + 2nd) and a 1st that became a 4th OA pick. And it could have been worse but Bowers has not panned out

I don't like Hamonic with Brannstrom much because it's still in the same mold as the guys Brannstrom has been paired with in the past. However, Hamonic should (hopefully) be better. He leaves it all on the ice so it's a nice attribute that could help out Brannstrom feel more "protected"

But yeah everyone will play because injuries are inevitable (although it'd be nice to be lucky in that department for once)

I'm ok with Brannstrom being traded, I mean we want to build around Chabot, Sanderson and Chychrun so Brannstrom is not absolutely necessary and will get more and more expensive anyway. Guys like Zub, Kleven and JBD should/could be great to round out the defense. Credit where it's due but if Chychrun fits on RD and signs a reasonable long-term contract, the outlook of our defense could actually be our strength

Getting a 1st for Brannstrom would be PD recovering nicely after a bad move, we still gave up Mark Stone to get him no matter what and the guy just captained his team to a Cup while almost wining the Smythe. A good recover in the same sense as when we got Holden + 3rd for Dadonov who wasn't working out at all. One of the moves I have always appreciated