Colorado Avalanche sign Erik Brännström to one-year, $900k contract

According to Sportsnets Elliotte Friedman, the Colorado Avalanche have inked defenseman Erik Brännström to a one-year, $900k contract.

Brännström spent the 2023-24 season with the Ottawa Senators where he tallied three goals and 17 assists for 20 points in 76 games. He was coming off a one-year deal that paid him an average annual value (AAV) of $2 million.

Brännström missed a few games last season after a scary collision last fall, he was hit by Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck, landing headfirst on the ice and ultimately had to be stretchered off.

Before getting a full-time gig in Ottawa, he spent a few seasons up and down between the NHL and playing for the Senators American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Brännström notched 14 points in 53 games during the 2021-22 campaign after collecting 13 points in 30 games the season prior, where he spent time in the Swiss National League with the SCL Tigers and the AHL.

Initially drafted 15th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Draft, Brännström was dealt to the nation’s capital as the Senators traded away future Golden Knights captain Mark Stone. Brännström made his pro debut in 2018-19 with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL following a successful campaign in Sweden which saw him collect 15 points in 44 SHL games with HV71.

The Eksjo, Sweden product has appeared in 266 NHL games, collecting seven goals and 62 assists for 69 points over parts of six seasons.

During his first AHL season and the first season of hockey in North America, Brännström adapted quickly and registered 28 points in 41 games. He was named to the AHL All-Star Game. That same season, he led the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in goals for a defenseman, scoring four in five games.