Is he on the 2nd or 3rd pairing ?

He's on the 2nd pairing. I'd say they should try him on the 3rd pair, but that's not an option, because you cannot play Borowiecki in the top 4. Can't even shake up the pairs, because even if you move DeMelo back into the top 4 (where he should be anyway) you're putting Boro-Hainsey together, which is just not an option.

Yeah , placing on the 3rd pairing where he would be matched up against lesser competition would be good for brannstrom - he would be able to gain confidence and ultimately end up on the 2nd pairing within a few months, but I get what you’re saying. Maybe 20 games in the AHL will be good for him and he can rejoin the team later in the year.

The islanders currently have Noah Dobson rotating in the 3rd pairing, they’re able to do that with their depth on defense.

Once Wolanin is healthy, the Sens will have another top 4 guy to play the left side. Then you bring Brannstrom back up and play him on the 3rd pair. Hopefully Hainsey and/or Borowiecki are gone by then.

Chabot-Zaitsev
Wolanin-DeMelo
Brannstrom-Jaros

This is the lineup I was hoping for opening night. Maybe this will be the top 6 by the time the season ends... I'm hoping we keep Melo. I don't think Wololo will jump right in and be effective but, even with a busted shoulder, he's still a better puck mover and skater then Boro...

He's NOT playing 2nd pair, that's untrue. He's the 6th defenseman by ice time and the 5th by competition.

http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&seasonFrom=20192020&seasonTo=20192020&gameType=2&position=D&playerPlayedFor=team.9&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,1&sort=timeOnIcePerGame

http://puckiq.com/teams/ott?season=20192020&from_date=&to_date=&tier=Elite&positions=d&min_toi=&max_toi=

He cannot be more sheltered than he already is, thus (if necessary) he should be sent to the AHL for further development.

Certainly the correct move to make if Brannstrom isn't NHL ready. Often it's really difficult to be a young Dman on a poor team (though I like Ottawa long term)
Strange reading other posts, some non Leaf fans think Liljegren is bust cause he's in the AHL, Brannstrom drafted just a few picks apart in the same year, needs more time in the AHL apparently.