Senators ink Erik Brannstrom to 1-year pact

The Ottawa Senators signed restricted free-agent defenseman Erik Brannstrom to a one-year deal worth $900,000 on Monday.

He will once again be a restricted free agent when the contract expires.

Brannstrom, 23, suited up for a career-high 53 contests in 2021-22 and pitched in with 14 assists. He averaged 19:46 of ice time per night - a more than 3-minute increase from the 2020-21 campaign - and saw more time on the power play and penalty kill.

"Erik is among our group of young players who we're looking upon to take another step forward next season," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said. "He's competitive, has an ability to efficiently move the puck, and showed well when asked to take on an increased role last season. We're hopeful that experience pays dividends for him."

The Swede was drafted 15th overall in 2017 by the Vegas Golden Knights, but the Senators acquired him as part of the trade that sent Mark Stone to Sin City in February 2019.

Brannstrom has two goals and 29 assists in 116 career NHL games, all with the Senators.

The Senators have one more restricted free agent remaining on their books in Alex Formenton, but Dorion told TSN in late August that he expected to complete the Brannstrom and Formenton deals by training camp.

Ottawa has about $7 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly.

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