The Ottawa Senator continued with their offseason moves, picking up defenceman Erik Brannstrom in a 1-year deal worth $900,000. Brannstrom will once again be a restricted free agent next summer according to the offer.
The 23-year-old Brannstorm had 14 assists and 30 penalty minutes in the 53 games he played for the Senators in the 2021-22 season. He also played in nine games with the Belleville Senators, scoring one goal and two accruing assists.
It’s unclear if Brannstrom will be able to secure a position in the NHL team or will be demoted into an external organization. Ideally, Brannstrom will be able to prove that he deserves a place as long-term third-pair defenceman in the pre-season, and solidify his place on the team. His offensive abilities have yet to be fully displayed at the NHL level but his defensive game has been surprisingly solid.
The Brannstrom deal comes in a series of smaller deals which the Senators have been making, attempting to pick up a number of solid role players to bolster their team. The team had a pretty disappointing 2021-22 campaign, finishing with a record of 33–42–7 which earned them the 13th spot in the Eastern Conference.
Other Offseason Deals by the Senators
The Senators have been very busy this offseason, trying to fill the gaps that have been holding the team back in the past couple seasons. Some of the bigger pickups include RW Claude Giroux, who was signed as a free agent to a three-year contract and LW Alex DeBrincat, who was traded for ’22 1st, 2nd, and ’23 4th-rd picks. These two moves were seen as ways of adding experience and depth on the wing positions, joining the likes of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris and Drake Batherson, each of whom are 24 or younger.
Giroux at 34 has a wealth of valuable experience with 923 points (294 goals, 629 assists) in 1,018 regular-season games and 81 points (28 goals, 53 assists) in 95 games in the Playoffs. He played most of his career for the Philadelphia Flyers before having a brief tenure with the Florida Panthers. Giroux will be expected to bring experience to a young team that has had limited high-pressure moments under their belt.
Other players who have been acquired by the Ottawa Senators this offseason include:
- Left-Wing Jake Lucchini- Signed as Free Agent One-year
- Defenceman Kristians Rubins- Signed as Free Agent One-year
- Right-Wing Scott Sabourin- Signed as Free Agent One-year
- Defenceman Jacob Larsson- Signed as Free Agent One-year
- Goalie Antoine Bibeau- Signed as Free Agent One-year
- Center Rourke Chartier- Signed as Free Agent One-year
- Right-Wing Jayce Hawryluk- Signed as Free Agent One-year
