AVALANCHE TO SIGN YOUNG, HIGH-UPSIDE DEFENSEMAN
The Avalanche have come to terms on a one-year, $900K deal with UFA defenseman Erik Brännström, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. Canucks freelance reporter Irfaan Gafaar said earlier Tuesday that there was traction between the Avs and Brännström on a deal.
Brännström, 24, became a UFA on Monday after being non-tendered by the Senators. It wasn’t unexpected. Ottawa has never fully trusted the 2017 first-round pick, whom they acquired from the Golden Knights as the centerpiece of the trade return for Mark Stone in 2019.
The Swede has spent parts of the last six seasons in Ottawa but didn’t catch on as a full-time piece until 2022-23. Since doing so, he’s been an exemplary bottom-pair defender, posting 38 points and a +10 rating in 150 games over the last two years. He’s also posted decent possession numbers, controlling 50% of shot attempts and 52.1% of expected goals at even strength last year.
The Sens didn’t use that strong play as evidence to try him higher up in the lineup, though, and his ice time stayed low at around 16 minutes per game. The one time Ottawa did insert Brännström into somewhat consistent top-four minutes in the 2021-22 campaign, he struggled with 14 assists and a -17 rating in 53 contests while averaging 19:46 per game.
Brännström won’t be tasked with much responsibility in Colorado, though. Their top four, Samuel Girard, Cale Makar, Josh Manson and Devon Toews, are already set. Instead, he’ll likely start the season in a consistent bottom-pairing role with either journeyman Calvin de Haan, who the Avs signed on Monday, or third-year pro Sam Malinski on his flank.
He’ll provide solid puck-moving depth and is a much cheaper replacement for deadline pickup Sean Walker, who signed a five-year, $18M deal with the Hurricanes on Monday. At $900K, Brännström’s deal can be fully buried in the minors if he flames out, but he would need to pass through waivers to head to the AHL.
It’s a good pickup for an Avalanche team that is already projected to be over the salary cap upon the return of Gabriel Landeskog from injury and Valeri Nichushkin from suspension next season. They’ll need players on sub-$1M cap hits to contribute as much as possible, and there were arguably no higher-upside bets available for that price after yesterday’s moves than Brännström.
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