Drafted 15th overall in 2017 by the Vegas Golden Knights, Ottawa Senators defenceman Erik Brännström was expected to be an impact blue liner by now. Though he has turned into a lineup regular over the last couple of years, he has yet to post a 20-point season and is on his way to back-to-back campaigns averaging under 17 minutes a game. Let’s look into his path as a prospect, what has gone right and wrong in the NHL, and whether he can ever achieve the lofty highs expected of him. 

While this defender was ranked varied between publications, many had Brännström as a first-round draft pick in 2017. Both Ryan Kennedy at The Hockey News and Bob McKenzie at TSN slotted our subject towards the end of the first round while Jeff Marek of Sportsnet ranked him 14th. Corey Pronman (then at ESPN) had h