Jump to content

Canucks call up Brannstrom for Florida game

Googlie

By Googlie
in Canucks Talk

 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Googlie changed the title to Canucks call up Brannstrom for Florida game
BTueyCanucksFan AHL Prospect

BTueyCanucksFan

Posted
Posted (edited)

Can't say I am surprised. He has played well in Abbotsford and has heaps of NHL experience albeit with a lesser team. If he can continue to play as he has lately, at the NHL level, you have to think he stays and someone else will get sent down. Desharnais and Juulsen are likeliest of targets at this point but both would require waivers. 

Edit: Not a fan of Raty being sent down would have preferred a dman unless Myers is out again

Edited by BTueyCanucksFan
Context
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Eddie AHL Prospect

Eddie

Posted
Posted

Not sure how to feel about this.  Brannstrom is kinda the D equivalent of Spong. Offensively impressive but an absolute liability in his own end. I wonder if they will try and create a pair with him and Soucy or something on the ice from time to time to allow him to push the Offense some more. 

 

I mean what we have right now is supposed to be low event defence first bottom pair, but that's still bleeding goals and getting trapped in its own end time after time. So trying something else that might lead to the similar amount of goals for but more offensive output could be worth a try. 

 

Raty getting sent down feels more like a numbers game to me, I think they are gonna try rotating those finge players this season to see who can really stick. Hasn't really made that C job his own yet, but hasn't let himself down either for me. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
King Heffy All-Star

King Heffy

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, canuck73_3 said:

He is a PMD and adequate/passable defensively we have 5 others that can play both ends no problem. Moving the puck out of our end especially against Florida is a good thing. 

He might become adequate with time, but right now he's another Pouliot/Hunt/Larsen. Bringing a guy that in can only hurt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Googlie All-Star

Googlie

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

He is more comfortable - and miles better - playing right D apparently 

 

See  (from Ottawa fanpage) ... be warned, it's a long read

 

********************************************************

 

Essay - Never in my life have I seen a prospect mismanaged to the extent of Erik Brannstrom

 

A timeline
June 2017: Drafted 15th overall and highly touted almost universally by scouts.

2017-2018: Puts together a solid season in the Swedish league. Plays at the world juniors where he was also impressive. (1+3 in 7gp)

2018-early 2019: Has a solid NHL training camp playing RD. Assigned to AHL where he also plays RD for the Vegas farm team and has a super impressive season as an 18 year old. 28 pts in 41 GP, named to the AHL All-Star game and also had a dominant world juniors (4 goals in 5 games).

Feb 2019: Acquired in the Mark Stone trade, touted as a future top pairing defenseman and key part of the rebuild.

Spring 2019: Ottawa decides the left side is best for his development and says that's where he'll be playing until further notice. He plays 9 games in Belleville where he racks up 4 assists. Also made his NHL debut later in the season. (0pts in 2GP)

2019-2020: Makes the team out of camp and plays an initial 23 games with Ottawa (LD, 2pts) and the reviews are mixed. Gets sent down but called up again two weeks later because of multiple D injuries. He plays a game against Tampa on the right side and has the game of his life:
[Wayne Scanlon - Sportsnet] "The five-foot-nine, 180-pound defenceman was more dynamic and confident, soaring up and down the ice with abandon... THAT’s the defenceman the Senators organization was so excited to get in the Mark Stone trade with Vegas at last year’s deadline."

[Steve Lloyd - TSN] "Let’s never play Brannstrom on the left side again. lol. Different player on his off side."

[Interview with Brannstrom]: Here’s the thing. Brannstrom has said that he really prefers playing the right side, even though he shoots left. It’s the side he grew up playing. "Yeah, I didn’t think it would be that different but I played last year the whole year in Chicago (AHL Wolves) and the pre-season with Vegas on the right side, so I kind of like it better, actually," Brannstrom said in a brief interview.

He ends up back on the left side and is eventually sent back down where he finishes the season with Belleville. During his two stints in the AHL he plays the odd game on the right but is still a LD. He puts up respectable numbers (3+20 in 27GP) and logs big minutes.

Fall 2020: Plays in the swiss league while the NHL is still trying to figure out how to have a season. Plays really well by all accounts and puts up a solid 2+6 in 10GP.

Jan 2021: Corey Pronman releases his U23 rankings and projects Brannstrom as a bubble 1st pairing defenseman.

Jan 2021: NHL starts up and he gets cut from the team. [Dorion on cutting Brannstrom] “I’ll admit he is the one player that I feel sorry for." Brannstrom only had 1 practice in camp due to quarantining and a minor injury. "I don’t think he is very happy to be assigned to Belleville."
He's assigned to Belleville to start the season but the AHL is delayed getting started so he's just sitting at home watching the Sens have their notoriously horrendous start with the notoriously bad D core of vets. The plan was to have him get up to shape in Belleville because of the quarantine and join the team later.

Feb 01, 2021: [Simpson] "In regards to Brannstrom, I'm told Smith(Sens coach) just isn't a fan."

Feb 04, 2021: Brannstrom is called up and plays his first NHL game of the year and does really well. Assist and +2 rating.

Feb 09, 2021: [Garrioch] "Erik Brannstrom has made his presence felt since being recalled to Ottawa Senators" Later that day it's revealed Brannstrom suffered an injury and will miss 7-10 days.

Mid Feb - Early March: Brannstrom returns from injury and is rotated in and out of the lineup. (LD when playing) When he's in the lineup he's paired with Erik Gudbranson - Yikes.

March 07, 2021: Brannstrom plays a career low 5:19. Fans assume he was injured but it is later revealed he was simply benched.

March 11-17, 2021: After playing two games since being benched, Brannstrom is scratched in 4 consecutive games in favor of Christian Wolanin.

March 18, 2021: Brannstrom is sent down to the AHL. [Dorion]"Brannstrom will be a top 4 defenceman at some point. He just isn't there yet." Some fans are livid because they feel he's better than most of the D still playing with Ottawa but others feel it's the right move and he's just not ready. It's worth noting he had a replacement level D partner during all his games in this stint. After being sent down he plays well and puts up a solid (0+5 in 4GP).

March 27, 2021: Brannstrom is called up.

April 1 - April 7: The infamous Brannstrom press box marathon. Right after being called up he's scratched for four consecutive games. Replacement level vets such as Erik Gudbranson, Josh Brown, Brayden Coburn and Nikita Zaitsev are played instead. The team loses 3 of 4, fans are furious, local media is outraged.

April 8 - May 12: Gudbranson, Coburn and Mike Reilly are traded at the deadline, Wolanin was traded as well back on March 29th. With no other options remaining to replace him, Brannstrom finishes the season with Ottawa and doesn't miss a game. For the first time in his NHL career, he's paired with a defenseman that isn't replacement level. The name is Artem Zub. Beforehand, Brannstrom's D partners had been Ron Hainsey, JBrown and Erik Gudbranson.

Paired with the steady Artem Zub, Brannstrom played the best hockey of his career. He put up 8 assists in 16GP, was +6, logged 22+ mins in his last 4 games, including a career high of 24:49 against the Jets. He ran PP1 when Chabot got injured and was a key part of the Senator's fantastic 10-3-1 run to finish the season.

Summer 2021
Fans and media begin to project the Sens lineup for the 2021-2022 season. Almost all projections have Brannstrom playing LD on the second pairing with Artem Zub. It's assumed the Sens will roll with pretty much the same D core they finished the season with.

July 28, 2021, 11:45AM: Dadonov is shipped out because it just didn't workout for him in Ottawa. The Sens acquire Nick Holden(LD) as part of the return. Fans and media like the move. Assumption is that he'll play on the third pairing with JBrown(RD) and Victor Mete(LD) will be a scratch and fill in for injuries/underperforming D.

July 28, 2021, 1:39PM: Ottawa signs Michael Del Zotto(LD) to a 2 year 4 million dollar deal. Sens fans are livid. Not a single person or media member likes the deal. In 2019 he signed a 1 year league minimum deal with the Ducks. Before the 2020-2021 season, he signed a 1 year two way league min deal with the Blue Jackets. There was absolutely no reason to sign him to a 1 way 2x2.

August 2021: Fans and media quickly put two and two together and realize the Sens may plan to start Brannstrom in the AHL. They have 7 D on 1 way deals and Brannstrom still on his entry level (two way) is waivers exempt. The fanbase assumes there's no possible way this could be happening after his phenomenal end the to the prior season. Trade rumours begin. Is Erik Brannstrom on the move because there's no room for him in the future with Sanderson(LD) and Chabot(LD)? Will they flip Nick Holden who only has one year left on his deal? Will they flip Victor Mete, who had a solid stretch of games with Ottawa after being picked up on waivers?

Sept 22, 2021: Training camp begins. To everyone's surprise, no moves are made. They're rolling in with 8 NHL level D and seemingly no room for Brannstrom. DJ Smith announces that MDZ and Zaitsev will form a shut down pairing to start the season. Brannstrom spends almost all of camp paired with JBrown. Many are frustrated and feel pairing him with a replacement level D isn't putting him in a position to succeed.

Oct 14, 2021: Erik Brannstrom is cut from camp and assigned to the AHL. Fans and media are furious. Elliot Friedman and other sources indicate he's potentially on the trade block.

Oct 14, 2021: Michael Del Zotto is scratched for the home opener after a disappointing pre-season.

Oct 15-23, 2021: In his first 3 games, Brannstrom struggles and looks unmotivated. Fans and media point out that the demotion likely stripped him of all his confidence built up from last season. They also speculate that with all the trade rumours, he probably feels as if the org doesn't see him in their long-term plans. In his 4th game in the minors, he takes a dirty hit to the head and loses his front teeth. Player is ejected for said dirty hit. I can't speak for Brannstrom but he's probably extremely frustrated with the org at this point. It's also worth noting that he's on PP2 in Belleville when he's arguably the best power play QB in the entire org.

Oct 19, 2021: [Thomas Drance] "Brannstrom on the block, Cholowski on waivers. And that’s just this week. It’s remarkable how quickly prospects lose their value, and an argument for recouping value in prospect trades far more aggressively than NHL teams typically do."

Oct 26, 2021: [Bader] "The Senators went roughly 15-13-3 once they inserted Brannstrom in the line up last year, he was producing at nearly half a point per game and his WAR/60 impact was the 5th best on the team of anybody who played 20 or more games. Back to the minors he goes."

Oct 27, 2021: Brannstrom changes agents, trade rumous pick up again.

Oct 29-Nov 5, Brannstrom's play improves. He begins to put up points and scores his first goal of the season.

Nov 7, 2021: Brannstrom is called up.

Nov 12, 2021: During his second game with Ottawa, Brannstrom breaks his hand and will be out for 6-8 weeks.

Dec 10, 2021: Del Zotto is placed on waivers after only 10 games with Ottawa. Fans and media can't believe what they're seeing. He then calls out management after putting up great numbers in his first few AHL games.

Dec 11, 2021: DJ Smith says they are switching to development. Says Brannstrom will get a legit shot once he's healthy and play with Ottawa for awhile. - Fans assume this means he'll be given a solid D partner because it's clear he benefits from it at this point in his development.

Jan 1, 2022: Brannstrom returns from injury. He plays LD paired with Victor Mete(RD, playing on his off-side) who has struggled immensely to start the season and has been a serious defensive liability.

Jan 5-7, 2022: Brannstrom practices playing RD paired with MDZ(LD) then Nick Holden(LD). Fans are confused, they thought the coach wanted him playing on the left side. Team hasn't played a game in ages because of COVID postponements.

Jan 9-12, 2022: Brannstrom is back on LD paired with JBrown. Will the org ever make up its mind on which side they want him playing? Will they ever reunite him with Zub, the partner he played his best NHL hockey with?

Conclusion
If Erik Brannstrom requests a trade I honestly don't blame him at all. It's must be frustrating playing for an organization that seemingly doesn't believe in you and playing under a coach that obviously dislikes you. The part where he came out and said he prefers playing on the right side then changed his mind later (after being scratched/sent down) was pretty odd. Brannstrom recently came out saying he has no preferance and just wants to play wherever the coach wants him to. I do not believe this to be true, he wants to play RD but is scared of not seeing any ice time.

His handling up to the 2021-2022 season was strange but kind of straightforward. Being sent up and down is pretty standard for prospects who don't make an immediate impact. The constant scratching during what was considered a development seasons was inexcusable, but I can let it slide for now. However, the events that have taken place since the end of the 2020-2021 season are a complete failure on all levels of management and coaching. In just a few months they managed to completely tank his value as an asset and destroyed any confidence and momentum he once had.

He's surely under a ton of pressure being the main return for fan favorite Mark Stone and understands fans are watching him under a microscope. It's not fair to expect him to grow into a player of equal talent, but it must definitely add too his frustration, along with of course being constantly disrespected by the org. He's probably thinking: Sens fans look, I don't want to disappoint you and I want to live up to the hype, but I'm just not being given a chance here.

It's obvious Brannstrom thrives with stable D partners as he's still young and not always defensively reliable. It's also obvious he rather play on the right side (no matter what he says to the media) and has shown that it can significantly benefit his game. Despite this, the Senators continue to play him on the left with replacement level D partners. If they're serious about switching to development mode, this has to stop.

His value is now at an all time low and it's a direct consequence of the bizarre decisions made before the 2021-2022 season. MDZ should never have been brought in and Brannstrom should absolutely not have been in the minors to start the year. It has been speculated that MDZ was Pierre McGuire's idea and Dorion just went through with the signing to stick it to him, knowing it would backfire and take a roster spot away from a deserving Brannstrom. McGuire was on local radio shorty after the signing talking up MDZ and mentioned he was very impressed with MDZ's season in Columbus while he was still a broadcaster for NBC. Either way, it's a complete disaster and should have never happened.

The remaining of this season will be the most crucial hockey of Brannstrom's young career. This is his last chance prove he deserves to be part of this young core moving forward. If DJ Smith disrespects Brannstrom once again and he ends up requesting a trade at the end of the season, I can almost guarantee he'll go on and turn into a star RD for another team and we'll get almost nothing back in return.

One last detail about this whole situation that makes it so much more frustrating: the obvious bias DJ Smith shows towards defenseman he personally relates to. Smith was a journeyman AHL/NHL player and was a big Physical D. (200+ penalty minutes in multiple seasons) When Josh Brown and Erik Gudbranson so obviously struggled and played at replacement level, he refused to take them out of the lineup in favor of Erik Brannstrom(last 2 seasons) and Artem Zub (first few weeks of 20-21 season).

Smith played in an era where D of his type were quickly being replaced by smaller puck movers and unknown Russian phenoms. He was allegedly the one that asked Dorion to acquire JBrown and was rumoured to play a part in the Gudbranson acquisition. He also famously won his Memorial Cup with a team captained by none other than Josh Brown himself. His personal biases are having a serious impact on both the development of Erik Brannstrom and the success of this team. It must stop, or else we'll never get to the playoffs and Brannstrom will go on and have success somewhere else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Googlie
Clarity
  • Cheers 1
  • Vintage 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
BTueyCanucksFan AHL Prospect

BTueyCanucksFan

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Googlie said:

He is more comfortable - and miles better - playing right D apparently 

 

See  (from Ottawa fanpage) ... be warned, it's a long read

 

********************************************************

 

Essay - Never in my life have I seen a prospect mismanaged to the extent of Erik Brannstrom

 

A timeline
June 2017: Drafted 15th overall and highly touted almost universally by scouts.

2017-2018: Puts together a solid season in the Swedish league. Plays at the world juniors where he was also impressive. (1+3 in 7gp)

2018-early 2019: Has a solid NHL training camp playing RD. Assigned to AHL where he also plays RD for the Vegas farm team and has a super impressive season as an 18 year old. 28 pts in 41 GP, named to the AHL All-Star game and also had a dominant world juniors (4 goals in 5 games).

Feb 2019: Acquired in the Mark Stone trade, touted as a future top pairing defenseman and key part of the rebuild.

Spring 2019: Ottawa decides the left side is best for his development and says that's where he'll be playing until further notice. He plays 9 games in Belleville where he racks up 4 assists. Also made his NHL debut later in the season. (0pts in 2GP)

2019-2020: Makes the team out of camp and plays an initial 23 games with Ottawa (LD, 2pts) and the reviews are mixed. Gets sent down but called up again two weeks later because of multiple D injuries. He plays a game against Tampa on the right side and has the game of his life:
[Wayne Scanlon - Sportsnet] "The five-foot-nine, 180-pound defenceman was more dynamic and confident, soaring up and down the ice with abandon... THAT’s the defenceman the Senators organization was so excited to get in the Mark Stone trade with Vegas at last year’s deadline."

[Steve Lloyd - TSN] "Let’s never play Brannstrom on the left side again. lol. Different player on his off side."

[Interview with Brannstrom]: Here’s the thing. Brannstrom has said that he really prefers playing the right side, even though he shoots left. It’s the side he grew up playing. "Yeah, I didn’t think it would be that different but I played last year the whole year in Chicago (AHL Wolves) and the pre-season with Vegas on the right side, so I kind of like it better, actually," Brannstrom said in a brief interview.

He ends up back on the left side and is eventually sent back down where he finishes the season with Belleville. During his two stints in the AHL he plays the odd game on the right but is still a LD. He puts up respectable numbers (3+20 in 27GP) and logs big minutes.

Fall 2020: Plays in the swiss league while the NHL is still trying to figure out how to have a season. Plays really well by all accounts and puts up a solid 2+6 in 10GP.

Jan 2021: Corey Pronman releases his U23 rankings and projects Brannstrom as a bubble 1st pairing defenseman.

Jan 2021: NHL starts up and he gets cut from the team. [Dorion on cutting Brannstrom] “I’ll admit he is the one player that I feel sorry for." Brannstrom only had 1 practice in camp due to quarantining and a minor injury. "I don’t think he is very happy to be assigned to Belleville."
He's assigned to Belleville to start the season but the AHL is delayed getting started so he's just sitting at home watching the Sens have their notoriously horrendous start with the notoriously bad D core of vets. The plan was to have him get up to shape in Belleville because of the quarantine and join the team later.

Feb 01, 2021: [Simpson] "In regards to Brannstrom, I'm told Smith(Sens coach) just isn't a fan."

Feb 04, 2021: Brannstrom is called up and plays his first NHL game of the year and does really well. Assist and +2 rating.

Feb 09, 2021: [Garrioch] "Erik Brannstrom has made his presence felt since being recalled to Ottawa Senators" Later that day it's revealed Brannstrom suffered an injury and will miss 7-10 days.

Mid Feb - Early March: Brannstrom returns from injury and is rotated in and out of the lineup. (LD when playing) When he's in the lineup he's paired with Erik Gudbranson - Yikes.

March 07, 2021: Brannstrom plays a career low 5:19. Fans assume he was injured but it is later revealed he was simply benched.

March 11-17, 2021: After playing two games since being benched, Brannstrom is scratched in 4 consecutive games in favor of Christian Wolanin.

March 18, 2021: Brannstrom is sent down to the AHL. [Dorion]"Brannstrom will be a top 4 defenceman at some point. He just isn't there yet." Some fans are livid because they feel he's better than most of the D still playing with Ottawa but others feel it's the right move and he's just not ready. It's worth noting he had a replacement level D partner during all his games in this stint. After being sent down he plays well and puts up a solid (0+5 in 4GP).

March 27, 2021: Brannstrom is called up.

April 1 - April 7: The infamous Brannstrom press box marathon. Right after being called up he's scratched for four consecutive games. Replacement level vets such as Erik Gudbranson, Josh Brown, Brayden Coburn and Nikita Zaitsev are played instead. The team loses 3 of 4, fans are furious, local media is outraged.

April 8 - May 12: Gudbranson, Coburn and Mike Reilly are traded at the deadline, Wolanin was traded as well back on March 29th. With no other options remaining to replace him, Brannstrom finishes the season with Ottawa and doesn't miss a game. For the first time in his NHL career, he's paired with a defenseman that isn't replacement level. The name is Artem Zub. Beforehand, Brannstrom's D partners had been Ron Hainsey, JBrown and Erik Gudbranson.

Paired with the steady Artem Zub, Brannstrom played the best hockey of his career. He put up 8 assists in 16GP, was +6, logged 22+ mins in his last 4 games, including a career high of 24:49 against the Jets. He ran PP1 when Chabot got injured and was a key part of the Senator's fantastic 10-3-1 run to finish the season.

Summer 2021
Fans and media begin to project the Sens lineup for the 2021-2022 season. Almost all projections have Brannstrom playing LD on the second pairing with Artem Zub. It's assumed the Sens will roll with pretty much the same D core they finished the season with.

July 28, 2021, 11:45AM: Dadonov is shipped out because it just didn't workout for him in Ottawa. The Sens acquire Nick Holden(LD) as part of the return. Fans and media like the move. Assumption is that he'll play on the third pairing with JBrown(RD) and Victor Mete(LD) will be a scratch and fill in for injuries/underperforming D.

July 28, 2021, 1:39PM: Ottawa signs Michael Del Zotto(LD) to a 2 year 4 million dollar deal. Sens fans are livid. Not a single person or media member likes the deal. In 2019 he signed a 1 year league minimum deal with the Ducks. Before the 2020-2021 season, he signed a 1 year two way league min deal with the Blue Jackets. There was absolutely no reason to sign him to a 1 way 2x2.

August 2021: Fans and media quickly put two and two together and realize the Sens may plan to start Brannstrom in the AHL. They have 7 D on 1 way deals and Brannstrom still on his entry level (two way) is waivers exempt. The fanbase assumes there's no possible way this could be happening after his phenomenal end the to the prior season. Trade rumours begin. Is Erik Brannstrom on the move because there's no room for him in the future with Sanderson(LD) and Chabot(LD)? Will they flip Nick Holden who only has one year left on his deal? Will they flip Victor Mete, who had a solid stretch of games with Ottawa after being picked up on waivers?

Sept 22, 2021: Training camp begins. To everyone's surprise, no moves are made. They're rolling in with 8 NHL level D and seemingly no room for Brannstrom. DJ Smith announces that MDZ and Zaitsev will form a shut down pairing to start the season. Brannstrom spends almost all of camp paired with JBrown. Many are frustrated and feel pairing him with a replacement level D isn't putting him in a position to succeed.

Oct 14, 2021: Erik Brannstrom is cut from camp and assigned to the AHL. Fans and media are furious. Elliot Friedman and other sources indicate he's potentially on the trade block.

Oct 14, 2021: Michael Del Zotto is scratched for the home opener after a disappointing pre-season.

Oct 15-23, 2021: In his first 3 games, Brannstrom struggles and looks unmotivated. Fans and media point out that the demotion likely stripped him of all his confidence built up from last season. They also speculate that with all the trade rumours, he probably feels as if the org doesn't see him in their long-term plans. In his 4th game in the minors, he takes a dirty hit to the head and loses his front teeth. Player is ejected for said dirty hit. I can't speak for Brannstrom but he's probably extremely frustrated with the org at this point. It's also worth noting that he's on PP2 in Belleville when he's arguably the best power play QB in the entire org.

Oct 19, 2021: [Thomas Drance] "Brannstrom on the block, Cholowski on waivers. And that’s just this week. It’s remarkable how quickly prospects lose their value, and an argument for recouping value in prospect trades far more aggressively than NHL teams typically do."

Oct 26, 2021: [Bader] "The Senators went roughly 15-13-3 once they inserted Brannstrom in the line up last year, he was producing at nearly half a point per game and his WAR/60 impact was the 5th best on the team of anybody who played 20 or more games. Back to the minors he goes."

Oct 27, 2021: Brannstrom changes agents, trade rumous pick up again.

Oct 29-Nov 5, Brannstrom's play improves. He begins to put up points and scores his first goal of the season.

Nov 7, 2021: Brannstrom is called up.

Nov 12, 2021: During his second game with Ottawa, Brannstrom breaks his hand and will be out for 6-8 weeks.

Dec 10, 2021: Del Zotto is placed on waivers after only 10 games with Ottawa. Fans and media can't believe what they're seeing. He then calls out management after putting up great numbers in his first few AHL games.

Dec 11, 2021: DJ Smith says they are switching to development. Says Brannstrom will get a legit shot once he's healthy and play with Ottawa for awhile. - Fans assume this means he'll be given a solid D partner because it's clear he benefits from it at this point in his development.

Jan 1, 2022: Brannstrom returns from injury. He plays LD paired with Victor Mete(RD, playing on his off-side) who has struggled immensely to start the season and has been a serious defensive liability.

Jan 5-7, 2022: Brannstrom practices playing RD paired with MDZ(LD) then Nick Holden(LD). Fans are confused, they thought the coach wanted him playing on the left side. Team hasn't played a game in ages because of COVID postponements.

Jan 9-12, 2022: Brannstrom is back on LD paired with JBrown. Will the org ever make up its mind on which side they want him playing? Will they ever reunite him with Zub, the partner he played his best NHL hockey with?

Conclusion
If Erik Brannstrom requests a trade I honestly don't blame him at all. It's must be frustrating playing for an organization that seemingly doesn't believe in you and playing under a coach that obviously dislikes you. The part where he came out and said he prefers playing on the right side then changed his mind later (after being scratched/sent down) was pretty odd. Brannstrom recently came out saying he has no preferance and just wants to play wherever the coach wants him to. I do not believe this to be true, he wants to play RD but is scared of not seeing any ice time.

His handling up to the 2021-2022 season was strange but kind of straightforward. Being sent up and down is pretty standard for prospects who don't make an immediate impact. The constant scratching during what was considered a development seasons was inexcusable, but I can let it slide for now. However, the events that have taken place since the end of the 2020-2021 season are a complete failure on all levels of management and coaching. In just a few months they managed to completely tank his value as an asset and destroyed any confidence and momentum he once had.

He's surely under a ton of pressure being the main return for fan favorite Mark Stone and understands fans are watching him under a microscope. It's not fair to expect him to grow into a player of equal talent, but it must definitely add too his frustration, along with of course being constantly disrespected by the org. He's probably thinking: Sens fans look, I don't want to disappoint you and I want to live up to the hype, but I'm just not being given a chance here.

It's obvious Brannstrom thrives with stable D partners as he's still young and not always defensively reliable. It's also obvious he rather play on the right side (no matter what he says to the media) and has shown that it can significantly benefit his game. Despite this, the Senators continue to play him on the left with replacement level D partners. If they're serious about switching to development mode, this has to stop.

His value is now at an all time low and it's a direct consequence of the bizarre decisions made before the 2021-2022 season. MDZ should never have been brought in and Brannstrom should absolutely not have been in the minors to start the year. It has been speculated that MDZ was Pierre McGuire's idea and Dorion just went through with the signing to stick it to him, knowing it would backfire and take a roster spot away from a deserving Brannstrom. McGuire was on local radio shorty after the signing talking up MDZ and mentioned he was very impressed with MDZ's season in Columbus while he was still a broadcaster for NBC. Either way, it's a complete disaster and should have never happened.

The remaining of this season will be the most crucial hockey of Brannstrom's young career. This is his last chance prove he deserves to be part of this young core moving forward. If DJ Smith disrespects Brannstrom once again and he ends up requesting a trade at the end of the season, I can almost guarantee he'll go on and turn into a star RD for another team and we'll get almost nothing back in return.

One last detail about this whole situation that makes it so much more frustrating: the obvious bias DJ Smith shows towards defenseman he personally relates to. Smith was a journeyman AHL/NHL player and was a big Physical D. (200+ penalty minutes in multiple seasons) When Josh Brown and Erik Gudbranson so obviously struggled and played at replacement level, he refused to take them out of the lineup in favor of Erik Brannstrom(last 2 seasons) and Artem Zub (first few weeks of 20-21 season).

Smith played in an era where D of his type were quickly being replaced by smaller puck movers and unknown Russian phenoms. He was allegedly the one that asked Dorion to acquire JBrown and was rumoured to play a part in the Gudbranson acquisition. He also famously won his Memorial Cup with a team captained by none other than Josh Brown himself. His personal biases are having a serious impact on both the development of Erik Brannstrom and the success of this team. It must stop, or else we'll never get to the playoffs and Brannstrom will go on and have success somewhere else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the sounds of this,  coupled with what he has done so far in Abbotsford, I would expect him to stick if he gels with partners. Given how he performed with Zub, I would not at all be surprised to see him payed with Soucy at some point,  which would allow us to play Myers with Forbort. I like the potential in Desharnais, but Brannstrom may be the better option going forward. That, and he gets regular practice time with Foote and Gonchar which can only help his development at this point. If he "buys in" that is

Edited by BTueyCanucksFan
Spelling
  • Cheers 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...