The Colorado Avalanche were not making the same type of waves today as they did yesterday. With 185 free agent signings throughout the league on day one, things slowed down to a crawl on day two with 18 by mid-day. The Avalanche did a lot to fill their depth, but the key part was that they got Jonathan Drouin signed for one more year. Colorado took on the assignment today to fill in the backend with another off the map pickup. Here are all the transactions from day two of free agency for the Colorado Avalanche including Erik Brännström.
Erik Brännström
Erik Brännström is a defenseman that was drafted in the first round (15th overall) by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017. He spent one season in their system with the Chicago Wolves and has been with the Ottawa organization ever since then. This last season, he saw a career high in games (76) with the Ottawa Senators and career highs in both goals (three) and assists (17) for the NHL. Brännström is a puck moving defenseman with an excellent skating ability. He can quarterback the power play if needed, but I doubt the Avalanche will use him in this role.4
There are downsides to the Swede. I hear he is soft and not very physical. This is one thing that Colorado has had an issue with in the third pair for some time now. He has issues boxing out the opponents, thus keeping the front of the net clear. This will be a project for the Avalanche. So fans will have to be patient.
Wyatt Aamodt re-signs
Defenseman Wyatt Aamodt, who was a restricted free agent due to have arbitration rights, has re-signed with the Avalanche. He has spent two full seasons with the Colorado Eagles and has become an essential part of their penalty kill. Known as “Ammo” around the locker room, Aamodt will let the opponents know he is there with board shaking hits. Aamodt reminds me a lot of how Jacob MacDonald plays, just with a lot more grit to his game. He played several games at forward for the Eagles this season and was very effective in the role for them. He will continue to play on the second or first pair for the Eagles this season.
Departures
— Spencer Smallman — Signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Washington Capitals
— Corey Schueneman — Signed a one-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues
You can keep up with all the player movement for the Eagles here.
Conclusion
Once again, the Avalanche took care of what they needed to do today. By signing Brännström, they can keep Sam Malinski in Loveland to develop a little more. Colorado also gets a defenseman that is a little more offensive and can play their type of game. By re-signing Aamodt, they avoided arbitration and kept a key penalty killer in the system. Aamodt has yet to play a game for the Avalanche, but I can see it happening soon.
