The Colorado Avalanche might not have a better defense corps in 2024-25, but it could be deeper.
Erik Brannstrom, once one of the top prospects in the sport, is the latest depth addition. He and the Avs agreed to a one-year, $900,000 contract Tuesday morning.
Brannstrom, who will be 25 in September, was one of the top defense prospects in the 2017 draft after Cale Makar and Miro Heiskanen and was pick No. 15 by the Vegas Golden Knights. He was the headliner in a trade package the Ottawa Senators received from Vegas for Mark Stone in 2019.
It didn’t go as planned for Brannstrom in Ottawa. He averaged nearly 20 minutes per game in 2021-22, but has been played fewer than 17 minutes per contest the past two seasons. He set career highs with three goals and 20 points in 2023-24.
Adding Brannstrom gives the Avalanche another intriguing option to fill out the defensive depth chart. The Avs have to replace Sean Walker, while Jack Johnson and Caleb Jones remain free agents.
Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Samuel Girard and Josh Manson are the clear top four, but Brannstrom joins fellow new additions Calvin de Haan and Sam Malinski, who had encouraging results in a 23-game rookie season, as options for the third pairing.
The Avs also added Calle Rosen and Jacob MacDonald on the first day of free agency, giving them eight defensemen with at least 93 games of NHL experience plus Malinski to fill out the top nine spots.
Avs add Bradley: Chase Bradley, a college free agent, signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Colorado.
Bradley was a seventh-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2020, but did not sign with the club and became a free agent this summer. He just completed his junior season at Connecticut, where he’s been one of the Huskies’ best players the past two seasons.
The 22-year-old Bradley had 11 goals and 22 points in 35 games for Connecticut this past season.
Aamodt’s back: Wyatt Aamodt, a restricted free agent, signed a one-year deal with the club. Aamodt, 26, had six goals and 14 points in 60 games for the Colorado Eagles in the AHL this past season. The defenseman originally signed with Colorado as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State-Mankato in April 2022.
Aamodt’s signing leaves forward Jason Polin as the lone remaining RFA for the Avs.
| Avs’ defensive pairings | |
|---|---|
| 2022-23 | |
| Devon Toews | Cale Makar |
| Bo Byram | Samuel Girard |
| Erik Johnson | Josh Manson/Jack Johnson |
| 2023-24 | |
| Devon Toews | Cale Makar |
| Samuel Girard | Josh Manson |
| Bo Byram/Sean Walker | Jack Johnson |
| 2024-25 | |
| Devon Toews | Cale Makar |
| Samuel Girard | Josh Manson |
| Calvin de Haan | Erik Brannstrom/Sam Malinski |
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Originally Published: July 2, 2024 at 11:35 a.m.
