Back in the day, Erik Brannstrom had significant trade value.
In 2019, as every Ottawa Senator fan remembers, the Vegas Golden Knights traded him to acquire star winger Mark Stone, now the Knights’ captain, who played a key role in their Stanley Cup victory two seasons ago.
These days, you’re not getting very much for Brannstrom.
Over the summer, the Senators let the 25-year-old Swedish defenceman walk into free agency, and he signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche.
But over the past few weeks, Brannstrom didn’t “wow’ anyone at Avalanche camp, and when the Avs claimed John Ludvig off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, the writing was on the wall.
On Sunday, Colorado sent Brannstrom to the Vancouver Canucks for a 2025 fourth-rounder and Tucker Poolman, whose career is probably over due to injury. Poolman won’t play this season, didn’t play last season, and only got into three games the year before.
The Canucks are keeping 20% of Poolman’s salary and now won’t need to use LTIR. Adding Brannstrom’s $900,000, combined with Poolman’s retained salary, is better for Vancouver if they want to do some things leading up to the deadline this season.
Following the trade, Brannstrom was placed on waivers by the Canucks. If he clears, he’ll start the season in Abbotsford.
The Senators let Brannstrom walk this summer because he was arbitration-eligible and made $2 million last season. Some have suggested the Sens should claim him, given their need for depth on defence and his cheaper $900,000 salary. Although he’s a lefty, Brannstrom does like to play the right side.
Right now, the Sens are planning to go with either Travis Hamonic or Jacob Bernard-Docker, who both trailed Brannstrom on last year’s depth chart. 19-year-old Carter Yakemchuk may get to stick with the team, but it’s unlikely to be for more than nine games.
All that said, it likely won’t happen. Circling back on Brannstrom doesn’t exactly align with Ottawa’s current focus on a “bigger is better” approach on the blue line.
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