The Fabian Brunnstrom sweepstakes finally came to an end
this week and the Dallas Stars emerged the winners.
After months of being courted by as many as twenty NHL teams
Brunnstrom signed a two-year entry level deal with the Stars, which with
bonuses could add up to $2 million per season.
Give credit to his agent, JP Barry, for stoking interest in
his client, especially with a recent tour of several NHL cities where he was
courted by the management of the Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens
and others.
I’ve previously written about Brunnstrom wondering if he’s worth
the hype. Many of the teams interested in him obviously did their homework on
this guy, but one has to wonder if a
player who had only 9 goals last season in Sweden, who never earned an
invitation to play for their national team in the World Hockey Championships
(currently being held in Halifax and Quebec City), is good enough to have
earned the attention he’s received in recent weeks.
Brunnstrom has also set the bar high for his NHL debut by
seeking top six forward minutes, which was the sticking point that apparently
cooled some teams’ ardor in this services, which must’ve been the main selling
point for him signing with Dallas.
He at least wisely opted not to make his debut in a bigger
hockey center. No offense to Dallas, but he won’t face as much pressure with
the Stars in their market as he would’ve had he signed with Detroit, Montreal
or Toronto.
For the Stars it’s a gamble but an affordable one, even with
the high number of free agents they have to re-sign this summer. At best, he’ll
cost them nearly $2 million per season which means he’ll be a top player for
them if he does. At worst, he’ll cost them the league maximum for entry level
contracts (less than $1 million per season) if he doesn’t, a figure they could
always erase from their cap by demoting him to the minors.
From what I've heard, his defensive game needs improvement which is why he'd be a bad fit on a 3rd or 4th line. Clearly Dallas wants him on one of their top 2 lines.
TKF, I agree that MTL has a lot of offensive depth for their top 2 lines and another playmaker is the last thing they need right now.
With all the hype about this guy, I hope he's a complete bust. He's got a handfull of points in the sweedish elite league, where NHLers go to die.... Honestly, I don't see what makes him that good. Those are mediocre at best stats and everyone is making a big deal about him. I think he'll finish out this season in the minors, and I'm guessing he's put to shame by other rookies with less hype.
I think its a nice Pick up by Hull. It doesn't seem like they will lose much if he doesn't pan out. Your right that he wont have much pressure to perform being in Dallas. If he went to Toronto I think he would be doomed before he ever would step on the Ice.
Just 9 goals and he is this highly rated? Something is really odd here?
Probably smart that he doesn't go to a Canadian team. With all of the hype surrounding him this year he'd be under a microscope with every shift up north. However, he'll still be pretty heavily scrutinized regardless because of all the press he's gotten. He would probably have been better off just quietly signing with a team. Now if he doesn't produce top 6 numbers right away he's going to be perceived to be a bust and another victim of hype.
1) Despite the hype over this kid, ultimately its a low risk proposition cap-wise. If he works out to be a top 6 forward its a cheap player. If he doesn't, then its not like it was a huge outlay of cash, and if they 'demote him' to the AHL, he'll likely bolt back to Europe "be given permission to return"
2) The story may be the guy Detroit got, Ville Leino. He's 24 and like Brunstrom an unnsigned free agent, BUT his numbers are far better. It figures that the "rich would get richer!"
The Habs signed Janne Lahti last summer with the expectation that he'd make the team, some predicted 15 to 20 goals from Lahti. He ended up spending the season in Hamilton.
These guys might be the real deal, and I'm not giving up on Lahti either, but they have to get adjusted to the North American pace. Not an easy thing for the Euros. Many young players come play for 1-2 years in the Canadian Juniors before being drafted because the adjustment is easier (i.e. Sergei Kostitsyn, Alexander Radulov).
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.
