Canucks place former first round pick on waivers, Sunday.

The Vancouver Canucks have placed one of their defensemen on waivers Sunday, taking the risk of potentially losing him to a rival team in the National Hockey League at roughly the midway point in the season.

According to a report from Noah Strang who appeared to break the news on Sunday, the Canucks have placed 25 year old defenseman Erik Brannstrom on waivers. The move comes just a few short months after the Canucks acquired Brannstrom in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche, a trade in which the Canucks gave up a draft pick and retained salary.

Brannstrom, a former first round pick (15th overall) for the Las Vegas Golden Knights at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, has appeared in 28 games for the Canucks this season, scoring 3 goals and adding 5 assists for a total of 8 points, but has been made a healthy scratch by Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet at numerous points in the season already.

Tocchet was asked about the decision to scratch Brannstrom numerous times with the head coach clearly hinting at the fact that he wasn't thrilled with the more defensive aspects of Brannstrom's game.

The Swedish defenseman is on a relatively affordable deal which could make him an interesting target for teams around the NHL looking to add depth on the blue line. Brannstrom is currently on a 1 year deal with a cap hit of just $900,000.