He’s the great mystery man of the NHL who’s yet to play a game on pro hockey’s biggest stage yet he’s apparently had the general managers of 20 NHL team panting for his services.
He’s Fabian Brunnstrom and he’s apparently close to signing with an NHL team for next season.
Brunnstrom, 23, is considered a late bloomer by the standard of NHL prospects. By that age most have paid their dues in juniors or the minor leagues to make the NHL, or face a life-long career playing in the minors or in Europe, or the stark reality that a pro hockey career isn’t attainable.
And he’s not content just to sign a entry-level contract with an NHL team. No, Brunnstrom wants to sign with a team that’ll give him the best opportunity to break into the league immediately.
Until the Vancouver Canucks fired Dave Nonis as general manager they were believed not only the front-runners but also close to having him under contract, but now he and his agent are considering other clubs.
The Detroit Red Wings are believed among those on the short list for his services but they apparently won’t guarantee anything beyond the opening month of the season to evaluate his performance before committing a full-time roster spot for him.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators are also believed on the list and it’s rumored the Leafs may now be the front-runners.
But is Brunnstrom worth the hype?
Most of it has appeared over the last couple of months, a period when player movement is non-existent and the start of the annual unrestricted free agent spending frenzy is still over two months away.
It’s tempting to dismiss it therefore as just so much overwrought media babbling by bored hockey writers in cities where the local NHL club is on the golf course rather than chasing the Stanley Cup, but then there’s that reported number of NHL teams interested in Brunnstrom: 20.
If that number is accurate it means two thirds of the league’s general managers, based on reports from their scouts, believe Brunnstrom has the goods to become a top-six forward in the NHL, maybe with time a scoring star.
That many general managers along with their respective scouting staffs aren't suffering from collective insanity. They've obviously heard and seen enough of Brunnstrom to believe he has the potential to become a quality NHL player.
Given the shallow depth in star talent in this summer’s UFA pool and of course the high prices that would be paid to sign them, the opportunity to land a reasonably mature 23-year-old prospective top-six forward at an affordable three-year entry level contract appears too good to pass up.
But is he worth promising a roster spot to?
Apparently that depends on how desperate a general manager is to bolster his offensive depth, hence the reason the Canucks, Maple Leafs and Senators are among those interested in landing him.
The Red Wings don’t lack offensive punch, but since they’re also on the short list of suitors for Brunnstrom -and were rumored a couple of months ago close to signing him -one has to assume it’s because Brunnstrom really wants to play for them if they’d only give him a chance.
And the Wings do want to give him a chance, but as they aren’t hurting for scoring depth they can insist that he either prove himself worthy of a roster spot or spend time in the minors developing his skills. The other front-runners might not have that option.
Brunnstrom is expected to make a decision shortly as to which NHL team we’ll sign with. By this fall, hockey fans will discover if he was worth the speculation, and his new NHL team will discover if he was worth guaranteeing a roster spot.
I'm afraid the cat has gotten out of the bag... This was supposed to be another one of those "sleeper" pickups for the Wings - another Zetterberg or Datsyuk - picked up in the late rounds of the draft or never heard of until he showed up in Detroit.
Now the question is, who let the cat out of the bag? Did Detroit realize that he may not be the talent they thought he was and are now "playing hardball" so they can wlak away from him? Or Brunnstrom himself who realized he could hold up the league for more than Detroit was offering...
Either way, this is not getting off to a good start. Either Brunnstrom will wash out for some undisclosed issue, or we have a prima donna on our hands before he steps on the ice for his first NHL shift.
umm to the first dude- what rae you smoking?
He's an UFA - he's not in the draft.
Plus, He was all but sewn up in Vancouver, till Nonis got bagged. Detroit only JUST became an option as did Philly. I hear the Rangers are in the Mix now as well.
What lies are you peddling? Supposed to be a late round sleeper? He'd have to be in the draft, puckhead.
Next time you want to lie/Embellish, make it plausible, please.
Um, it's pretty clear that he meant simply that Detroit was trying to make him a sleeper pickup, in similar fashion as their late round picks. Meaning that they wanted to pick up a player that most people didn't know about. Don't be so literal, man, trying some reading comprehension.
I read here in MTL that director of scouting Trevor Timmins also has a high opinion of him, creating speculation that Montreal is one of those cities. Other reports state that Brunnstrom and his agent have been negotiating with the Habs and were impressed with the Canadiens' offer, also something about liking some of the players here in MTL.
Brunnstrom will no doubt prove to be a useful addition to a number of NHL clubs, but I believe he would benefit going through a grooming process like they have in the Detroit system or such as the Rangers are developing. I'd be very surprised if he proved to be fully NHL ready right out of the chute.
From another angle, this effort presents for us an interesting case study. If at some point the NHL entry draft system is challenged in the courts and determined to be an unfair restriction of trade (a possibility, because the NHL is not protected by anti-trust legislation like baseball), this type of league-wide pursuit of a single player might become the norm.
Can you imagine a similar sweepstakes with a more known quality (a la Sydney Crosby)? As much drama as there is surrounding the entry draft, wouldn't there be significantly more media attention and fan interest if all 30 NHL cities were in play?
I'm sure the Wings could have him if they want, now that the Canucks seem to be out of the race... Perennial contender, large Sweedish contingent, lots of talent to play with and learn from...
The Wings have enough depth that, even if he proves to be a bust, 'wasting' a roster spot isn't going to have that much impact. They'll be contenders for both the Pres Trophy and the Cup yet again, so why not give him what he wants?
Thats the thing with this guy... He doesn't want a "grooming process" or a "roster spot". He wants a guareteed spot on the top line. The Canucks said they would give it to him, he could play between the Sedin boys. Something tells me ownership heard this stuff and thats (among other things, I'm sure, like not making the playoffs) why they dumped thier GM.
What kind o####M makes a commitment like that to someone who has never skated a NHL shift?
What kind of a player makes demands like that? I don't know of anybody who could demand a spot in the top 3/6 forwards.
It must be earned!
I'll agree that this may set a precedent concerning the draft albeit a slim chance with regards to abolishing the draft.
Matt: Have you seen the MLB drafts? Top prospects aren't even drafted 1st overall because there is no rookie-salary cap! That being said, neither the NBA of NFL have anti-trust exemptions so....
Brunnstrom wants a guaranteed roster spot, let him sign with one of the weaker teams, it's where he'd end up if he went into the draft anyways.
It's an "what's old is new again" thought. The entry draft as we know it is a relatively modern invention (starting in 1969; the amateur drafts from 1963-68 were more modest affairs).
Prior to 1969 the NHL teams had territorial exemptions and feeder systems into which they assigned and developed all their under-age contractees. (If I recall correctly, Boston got Bobby Orr's name on a contract when he was 15, and began grooming him for the NHL.)
Ken Linseman challenged the entry draft in court and got the age lowered from 20 to 18 (resulting in the uber-draft of 1979 with the best 18, 19 and 20 year olds available, many with WHA seasoning).
I don't know the status of the Tavares lawsuit to gain him entry to the 2008 draft (he missed the cutoff by five days), but similar claims are likely given the millions of dollars in salaries that are at stake.
At some point the assertion will be made that the entry draft is an unfair restriction of trade. The lowering of free agency in the NHL to age 27 -- and potentially as low as age 25 for the kids who start at 18 -- might even strengthen the legal argument against the draft and in favour of completely unrestricted free agency.
Dettroit doesn't need him. Tell him to come and earn a spot, just like everyone else does. If he doesn't want to earn it, then let him be someone elses headache.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
