Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images5. Erik Brannstrom (Reader Rank: 6, Last Year: 3)
This past season, Erik Brannstrom split his time relatively evenly between Ottawa and Belleville, suiting up in 31 and 27 games for each club. In that time, Brannstrom made great strides and improved in areas of his game which require amelioration for him to make the leap to a full-time, impact NHLer. The unfortunate part for Brannstrom is that his label of top prospect comes with added pressure and there are some who are growing impatient with the fact he isn’t a top 4, bonafide NHL pivot yet. After all, his acquisition was the proudest day in Pierre Dorion’s career as a General…
