Avalanche add more defensive depth on second day of free agency

The Colorado Avalanche added several players on the first day of free agency on Monday.

And on Tuesday, GM Chris MacFarland had one more move up his sleeve.

The Avs signed defenseman Erik Brannstrom away from the Ottawa Senators, reportedly on a one-year deal worth $900,000.

Brannstrom in burgundy and blue.#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/eRPUQadtkS

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) July 2, 2024

Brannstrom, a former first-round pick in 2017 at No. 15 overall, will compete to be one of six Colorado defenseman to regularly dress during the season. He’ll likely battle with Sam Malinski to skate alongside Calvin de Haan in the team’s third defensive pairing. de Haan was one of several moves MacFarland made on Monday.

In 76 games with the Senators a season ago Brannstrom had three goals and 17 assists, good for 20 points. Those were both career-highs for the 24-year-old. Brannstrom joins former Ottawa teammate Parker Kelly in Denver, a forward who inked a two-year deal with the Avs on Monday.

Joel Kiviranta, de Haan, Jacob MacDonald, T.J. Tynan, Kelly and Calle Rosen were MacFarland’s signings to kick off Avalanche free agency, along with retaining Jonathan Drouin on a one-year, $2.5 million deal. That was regarded as a savvy move by the Avs, considering Drouin had interest from the Rangers and others.

With Brannstrom’s deal official, Colorado might be close to done, with potentially a fourth-line center still to come.