Lost in the fracas of the J.T Miller trade, the New York Rangers acquired defenseman Erik Brannstrom in the deal. Erik Brannstrom was once a highly rated prospect. This 25-year-old Swedish defenseman has been one of the more underrated parts of this deal, as he can still play at the NHL level. While he isn't the young kid brimming with potential he once was, he'll be asked to help the Rangers turn around their struggling blueline.
The Vegas Golden Knights drafted Brannstrom in the 2017 NHL draft. He was the 15th overall pick in a draft class that was projected to be strong. His struggles in Ottawa outlined his troubled development, and the Rangers will be looking to get this player back to somewhere near his best. It's a long road to get the best out of Brannstrom, but the Rangers look to get the best out of him under Peter Laviolette.
Brannstrom has played in 294 career NHL games, mainly for the Senators. In those 294 games, he has tallied 10 goals, 67 assists, and 77 points. In his 28 games for the Vancouver Canucks, Brannstrom tallied three goals and five assists for eight points. He will try and fight for a place on this blueline if the Rangers' new acquisition will make an impact at the NHL level. He'll likely start in the AHL since he's right-handed.
Since he's right-handed, he's fighting newly extended Will Borgen, Braden Schneider, and some dude named Adam Fox. Whether with Hartford or the Rangers, the Blueshirts will look for the best out of this defenseman. He has much to offer, so we will see if the Rangers can extract it ahead of the playoff push. We'll see what happens in the coming weeks and months, but this could be an underrated part of that massive trade that saw the Rangers land Miller.