What is the Plan for Erik Brannstrom?
The tale of Erik Brannstrom is a fascinating one, and the future of the blueliner is a question Sens fans have been pondering for some time now. Many believe this season is his make-or-break year to determine his fate with the organization. He’s been with the club for almost 3 calendar years now, so let’s take a look back on his history with the Sens.
Originally the 15th pick of the 2017 draft, the Vegas Golden Knights included him in a package to acquire winger Mark Stone from the Ottawa Senators. That day was February 25th, 2019, at the NHL trade deadline. As one of the darkest days for Sens fans, Pierre Dorion assured fans that the future was still bright, especially in acquiring Erik Brannstrom. Dorion even declared that it was the “proudest day I’ve ever had as a general manager in the NHL”. It looked like Brannstrom was going to man the left side of the blue line with Thomas Chabot for years to come.
In his first full year with the club, he split time in the NHL and the AHL during 2019-20. He originally made the team out of camp, but only recorded 4 assists in 31 games. He was still only 20 years old at the time, so it didn’t hurt to have him develop in the AHL. His AHL dominance was on full display for the stacked Belleville Senators, with 23 points in 27 games.
It looked like 2020-21 would be the breakout season for him, where he could shine in a weaker Canadian division. He was sent down to the AHL instead, even with no AHL games being played at that time. The handling of Brannstrom was being questioned at the time, especially with the Sens performance to start the year. The Sens went 1-8-1, allowing 48 goals in that span. The Sens then called him up on February 3rd, after sitting out 10 games. He spent 14 games up with the big club, playing under 15 minutes on the third pair. He then had to be sent down again on March 11th, due to too many 1-way contracts in the NHL. Before he would be brought up again, Christian Wolanin, Braydon Coburn, Mike Reilly, and Erik Gudbranson were all traded before the trade deadline.
He would be called up again on April 8th and would finish the season on a pair with Artem Zub. He recorded 8 points in 16 games and formed a solid second pair. Ever since his callup, the Sens went 10-5-1 with Brannstrom in the lineup, which was their best stretch of the year. Head Coach DJ Smith even made Brannstrom play over 20 minutes for the last 5 games of the year. With Artem Zub extended in the summer, it looked like Brannstrom found a partner that he could play on the second pair for the 2021-22 season.
With a hot finish to the year, the Senators decided to not make any drastic moves and stay the course. They signed Michael Del Zotto to 2-year deal at 2 million AAV and acquired Nick Holden in a deal from the Vegas Golden Knights. Many were curious why they added two more defenseman, when they lost none of their top 6 that went 10-5-1 to end the season.
This year saw the Senators have 8 defensemen on their roster, where 7 of them had 1-way contracts and would require waivers. The one man out was Brannstrom, who was forced to be sent down to the AHL days before the season opener. A question had to be asked, were the acquisitions of Holden and Del Zotto made because management didn’t think he was NHL ready? Even though he had his best stretch of hockey to end the 2020-21 season and a strong pre-season.
Once again, the Sens struggled out the gate and were unable to find defensive consistency. Del Zotto, Josh Brown and Victor Mete were rotating as scratches while Brannstrom was playing in the AHL. The Sens went 4-13-1 before calling Brannstrom up, with many confused as to why he wasn’t with the big club in the first place.
Just as he was called up, he broke his hand after his second game. While it seemed like he could miss 20 games, it was much less due to many Senators games being postponed, which could end up being a blessing in disguise for the defenseman. He only missed 8 games with 6 of them being postponed, and just played against the Maple Leafs a couple days ago.
While he is just 22 years of age, he’s not going to be young forever and now has his shot at being a full time NHLer. With Del Zotto in the AHL, Nikita Zaitsev and Josh Brown injured, Brannstrom has perhaps his best chance at making the team and sticking. His mobility and break out passes could bring something new to the table, especially with the Sens who allow a lot of shots. He could also help out the 2nd powerplay unit, which has only scored 8 goals this year. Brannstrom deserves a prolonged audition this time round, especially if the Sens are looking to move him. Since the 2019-20 season, he has been sent to the minors 5 times, placed on the taxi squad 5 times, and placed on Injured Reserve 3 times.
In most likely a lost season, the Sens have switched their focus to focus on development and Brannstrom should be a key part of that. His value at the moment in a trade could be pretty minimal, but he has 53 games to prove that he has value that another team could look at. If he’s not part of the Sens long term plans, the organization would be best served to recoup some value.
-Damian Smith
Twitter: @Tkachukgoat