Wouldn't Ottowa rather give playing time to bernard docker and Brandstrom over Dehaan and Oleksiak?

You may have Luke Green for a bag of potato chips.

I think there is no rush for JBD and time in the AHL with Mann will be fantastic. Case and point development of Thomson from a year ago. Brannstrom needs to fight for a job and his defending is weak. Why not be the guy playing 20+ in the A and deserve a call up during the season. Bringing in bigger / viable defenders in Oleksiak and De Haan ensures Branny earn it. Not like last year with Coburn and Gudbranson as the vets to beat out....

Dude Brannstrom was better defensively than most of the guys who played D this year, and what clearly a valuable part of their breakout and an offensive contributor (on pace for 35 points in 82 games). He won't benefit at all from more time screwing around in a league he's clearly too good for. Only way he learns to improve his NHL defending is by defending in the NHL.

JBD probably starts in Belleville, but Brannstrom is VERY clearly an NHL player to anyone who pays attention to anything beyond his height.

My hometown!

Zub was a hell of defender all year and influenced that significantly. Branny is going to be a solid top 4 d and the addition of Mete helped the overall break out. I don't care if he's 6'4 or 5'9. Its called healthy competition to earn spots. He's 22 and if deserving he starts in the NHL vs the AHL. How is time screwing around in a professional league he didn't dominate, with a coach (who should have an NHL job) a bad thing?

Lol

I don't know how you look at his season as a whole, especially the way it ended, and say Brannstrom hasn't shown he is at worst deserving of a regular top 6 role. He's absolutely earned his spot for next season.

Also he absolutely did dominate in the AHL, what are you talking about? He was clearly far above the AHL in his brief stint this year, and he was totally a dynamic offensive threat last year too. He won't get better if he isn't being challenged. He needs to be in the NHL, and he very obviously will be.

The team already came out and said theyre looking for a top 4 RD, adding two bottom 4 LD is a lateral move, maybe even a step back. You don't sign someone for 2x3m to be healthy competition. That player is expected to contribute at that dollar and term. Same goes for De Haan, if Mete and Brannstrom are ahead of them from the start of the year those moves look ridiculous. 7.5m in the pressbox is never a good thing.