Senators Re-sign Young RFA Defenseman

The Ottawa Senators seemingly close the book on their stellar offseason that saw them get much better. The team signed restricted free agent Erik Brannstrom to a 1-year, $900,000 deal that will see him become an RFA once again after the season is over.

This contract gives the Senators a chance to get a better look at Brannstrom and allow him the opportunity to possibly play top-four minutes and earn a larger payday. The young defenseman was the big piece in the trade that saw Mark Stone head to the Vegas Golden Knights in February of 2019. Alongside Brannstrom was Oskar Lindberg and a late 2020 second round pick.

Sens sign Erik Brannstrom to a one-year deal worth $900k for the upcoming season.

Pierre Dorion on the signing: pic.twitter.com/RcQtUEmFCp

— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) September 5, 2022

Brannstrom is a former 15th overall pick by Vegas in their expansion year but never played a game for them. Even most first round defensive draft picks need time to develop, and he played his first two games in the NHL for the Senators in 2019 after the trade.

The 23-year-old defenseman has jumped between the NHL and AHL for the past three seasons and has struggled to find his footing in the NHL. Now that he will be eligible for waivers, the Senators will stop sending him down mid-season. If Brannstrom doesn't perform up to standards, they may even look into trading him before his stock plummets even further.

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