The Canucks have recalled defenseman Erik Brännström from AHL Abbotsford, the team announced. He comes up to the active roster with Derek Forbort being granted personal leave. The Canucks had an open roster spot and $1.3MM in current cap space, so no corresponding transaction is necessary, and Forbort remains on the active roster for now, although he could be shifted to non-roster if need be.
Brännström, 25, planned on spending this season in Colorado after inking a one-year deal worth $900K with the Avalanche on the second day of free agency. However, an evidently underwhelming training camp and the Avs’ need for cap flexibility led them to trade him to Vancouver earlier this month in exchange for $2MM worth of LTIR-bound defenseman Tucker Poolman and a 2025 fourth-round pick.
The Canucks waived Brännström immediately after acquiring him, and no one placed a claim for the 2017 15th overall pick. That meant his first AHL action in three seasons, and he’s responded well with three assists and a +3 rating through Abbotsford’s first two games of the campaign.
It’s been a tough go of things for Brännström over the past few months. After recording a career-high 20 points (3 G, 17 A) in 76 games with the Senators last season, he was unexpectedly non-tendered and hit the UFA market three years ahead of when he’d otherwise be eligible. Possession control was an issue for Brännström during his final season in Ottawa, though, posting a negative relative CF% figure for the first time in his career. Otherwise, the Swedish blue-liner has had far better defensive metrics than his reputation indicates, albeit in mostly third-pairing minutes.
More to come…