Dadnov should be on the first line

rather have Sokolov or Formenton then sign Duclair.

Ottawa games are going to have a lot of goals in them on both ends this season. Should be fun!

Brannstrom wont be a regular?

Imagine thinking Stützle will start but Brännström wont

Doubtful to start, but will likely be up by the deadline. Dorion went out and filled the blueline up and said it isn't changing (in other words, Reilly isn't being traded) and that the youth (Brannstrom, Jaros, Lajoie, Thomson) need to force their way in. Last year, we gave the reigns to Brannstrom and he was terrible. The same is being done up front with Batherson. Now they need to claw their way into the lineup.

Brannstrom's AHL performance was great but he also had a lot of help from being on a stupidly strong team. 10/23 points came on the PP, 11/20 assists were secondary. He recorded his 23 points in 19/27 games. In his NHL time he was not ready whatsoever. The Sens organization sees a lot in him but isn't banking on him being amazing nor ready right away, as they shouldn't. The fan base, on the other hand, is impatient and doesn't want to wait.

There is a spot open for Stutzle, there isn't for Brannstrom. However, it could still come down to what the players earn or don't earn in camp. But as it stands right now, Stutzle does have a much better shot at making it not only because of the open spot, but also because he is more NHL ready. I expect Brannstrom to still become a full-time NHLer by the end of the season

Well said. By no means is Brannstrom a bust. He just needs more time to build up his confidence so when he does make the jump full-time, he will not only be able to hold his own, but be able to translate his game to the NHL level and hopefully make that Mark Stone trade a bit easier to swallow. Who knows, if Brannstrom earns a spot in camp and plays great, they won't hold him back.

With the sens there is no first line. They usually just role through the lines 5 on 5 and favour chemistry. Tierney and C.Brown have tremendous chemistry together and regardless of which line they are on, they will be the highest played forwards on the team because DJ Smith puts them in all situations.

Stützle is in no way, shape or form more NHL ready than Brännström. He's literally Ottawa's second best defenseman if he gets the minutes.

I'm not sure how many Ottawa games you watch or how many Stutzle games you have seen for that matter, but I think most people who have seen a lot of those would disagree with you. Furthermore, the Sens have 6 defensemen on a one-way contract and 1 on an entry-level (Zub) that didn't sign here to play in the AHL. There is simply no spot for Brannstrom before Injuries so there is no point in rushing his development and I don't think a lot of sens fans have a problem with that. We want to see him come up when he is ready.

This screams of going off of name value alone; you should tune in to some Sens games, they're going to be lots of fun to watch this year. Reality is he's very very far from Ottawa's second best defenseman if he's anything like he was last year, and doesn't yet even crack their top 6 the way they've structured it unless he makes a statement in camp. Those who have watched every game of his (and all of Belleville's too in some cases) know he's got a ways to go before he's ready for top 4 minutes.

Stutzle may not be ready yet and that's a discussion on its own, but that's completely irrelevant when it comes to how incredibly far off you are on Brannstrom. He already had 31 games last year where he was a chicken with his head cut off.

Brännström was better than Dahlin two years ago. Your perception of 'not rushing' him if anything has the effect of slowing him down and dropping his confidence in his own ability. Not only have I watched a lot of Ottawa games, I've watched him play in Sweden too. This, to me, reeks of confirmation bias and the perpetualizing idea that young defensemen aren't ready until someone decides they are.

On Stützle; the DEL is miles behind any of the other leagues mentioned. Keep your hopes up if you want, but I don't imagine he makes a positive impact in the NHL until 2-3 years down the road.

If you've watched a lot of Sens games you would know Brannstrom was given every opportunity last season and ended up with 0 goals and 4 assists. He lost all his confidence and was not playing his game. If this continues without doing something about it, that's how you ruin a prospect's development. That's exactly what happened with Curtis Lazar here in Ottawa. Let him re-establish himself at a lower level until he can translate his playing style to the NHL. If he shows that during training camp, then awesome! I'd be on board with it. But I can't stress enough that they have 7 defencemen signed with the big club for a reason and this is just a projection of what I think the opening lineup will look like. Don't worry, it's only a matter of time before he makes the jump but it probably won't be right away.

On Stuetzle; it doesn't matter that the DEL is behind the SHL or the NHL. It's still a lot easier making the jump from the DEL than it is from juniors. Pierre Dorion and head scout Trent Mann have stated that Stuetzle is NHL ready and they plan for him to be in the lineup starting at LW. Argue with that if you want but like I said, this is a projection of what the lineup will look like, not necessarily what it should look like. Also it's not unheard of for a 3rd overall pick to make the lineup right away, especially one who will be almost 19 by the time the season starts.