Now that the season is over and the offseason has slowed down, it is time to reflect on the season that was. Over the next few weeks, we will be giving out grades and analysis on each player who played 19 games or more for the Edmonton Oilers in the 2022–23 season.
Overall, the season can be looked at as a success. Although the ending was disappointing, the Oilers finished the season with a 50–23–9 record, a total of 109 points. The first time they’ve hit 50 wins since 1986–87 and the most points since 1985–86. Things are looking promising for Edmonton’s competitive window, even though they only made it to the second round of the playoffs this season.
Plenty of players had noteworthy campaigns individually, either positively or negatively. Today let’s look into the 2022–23 campaigns for Mattias Janmark, Philip Broberg, Vincent Desharnais, and Nick Bjugstad.
Mattias Janmark: C
It was another stable season for Janmark, delivering his services as advertised. Signed to a short, low cost deal, Janmark was brought in to provide some support on the fourth line and on the penalty kill. An honest player, Janmark was full value in this role, bringing enough tenacity and responsibility to be a trusted depth option in the lineup.
Janmark isn’t without skills, but should not be expected to contribute much more than this fourth line role. Of course, through injuries Janmark might find himself elevated, as he was at points last season for the Oilers, in particular when a number of regular forwards were out. The main difference that Janmark brings versus another depth forward option, such as Derek Ryan, is that Janmark does his work with a physical intensity, where Ryan does his through hockey sense.
Besides being trusted, Janmark is accepting of his role and fully developed, meaning that Janmark is best served as an NHL regular in limited minutes and that it might be prudent to fill any injuries above him on the depth chart with other, more volatile options beneath. If the Oilers are auditioning players in the top six due to injury circumstances, a player like Raphael Lavoie might be worth more of a look than Janmark.
While his effect on the team is more limited, Janmark is a dependable player who can deliver consistent results. For a contending team like the Oilers, this is a valuable piece of a complete lineup.
Philip Broberg: C+
Broberg is one of the most interesting players to monitor on the Oilers going forward, as the trajectory of his development will be an inflection point on the Oilers team as a whole. Quite simply, if Broberg is able to live up to expectations of his becoming a legitimate top-four defenceman, the Oilers have a chance to ice one of the strongest bluelines in the league. Doing so would all but cement the Oilers as legitimate perennial contenders, the biggest and best bargaining chip the Oilers can have in hopes of re-signing both Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
For Broberg, the 2022–23 season was not necessarily a breakout campaign, but there were a lot of promising signs that Broberg is taking steps in that direction. Injured before the 2022–23 regular season opener, Broberg started in the AHL. This inauspicious beginning was reflected by another tough look, a holding penalty against Jack Eichel early into a Game 5 showdown against the Vegas Golden Knights, earning Broberg a quick bench despite Darnell Nurse being suspended.
Broberg was not quite ready for the big time last season, though a grade of C+ indicates that there was a lot of good along the way. Broberg looked outright dominant in the AHL during his brief stint last season, showing us that the upside to control the flow of play is still possible. After being called up, he played regular, but sheltered minutes on the 3rd pair and with Evan Bouchard as a partner, proving he could hold his own as a defender.
After Vincent Desharnais debuted and Mattias Ekholm was acquired, Broberg was pushed down the lineup by more seasoned defenders. It is understandable that the Oilers would favour experience given their aspirations of contention, though it does present some existential ennui in evaluating Broberg’s future. While there are many theories about how things could or should unfold going forward, Broberg’s role was indispensably a depth one the 2022–23 Oilers, worthy of a C by our grading system, and worthy a plus for continuing to show progress in his development.
Vincent Desharnais: B+
A sentimental favourite for exceeding expectations, Desharnais had a 2022–23 season to remember. In the dog days of last offseason, there were some close to the Oilers who had thoughts that Desharnais could make the jump to the NHL, but Desharnais was able to surpass even the lofty expectations placed upon him. Some might go as far to argue that Desharnais’ call up was something of a turning point for the Oilers season as a whole.
Desharnais definitely has some brand synergy between his looking the part of a bouncer to what the Oilers hope is an exclusive club, the net front. Oilers Coach Jay Woodcroft even refers to Desharnais affectionately as “seaweed man” for his abilities in slowing down the opposition’s attack through the defensive zone. There is little doubt that Desharnais’ skill set, and right shot, made him a balancing force on the Oilers blueline, a symbiotic relationship that brought great success to both player and team, and a near tailored fit at that.
Given his advanced age for an NHL rookie, Desharnais might well be maxed out as a circumstantial third pair defensive option, but his continued growth might suggest more on the horizon. Despite a fairly one dimensional role, and perhaps exposed at times in the playoffs, Desharnais was still a positive contributor for the Oilers in the 2022–23 season.
Nick Bjugstad: C+
Bjugstad was acquired at the trade deadline after putting together a strong first half of the 2022–23 season with the Arizona Coyotes. Centring a line with Lawson Crouse and Mattias Maccelli, Bjugstad had something of a renaissance season when observing his 2022–23 as a whole. This grade, however, is reflective of his time with the Oilers.
Thanks to some retained salary, the Oilers were able to afford Bjugstad, who might have even been generating some fringe Selke Trophy recognition with the Coyotes, to bolster the forward depth. Although Bjugstad was unable to supplant Ryan McLeod for his ideal role as a third line centre, Bjugstad was able to contribute up and down the lineup, though never truly settling into any regular spot in the Oilers unconventional 11 forward-7 defenceman lineup. Bjugstad was elevated into the “top six” during the playoffs, even using his size in scoring three goals at the net front during the Oilers playoff run, though it would be hard to categorise his Oilers tenure as an overwhelming success.
Bjugstad did deliver a quality of play that improved the Oilers, a fair contribution for the expectations upon his acquisition and the cost of doing so. More than altering the Oilers lineup as a whole, as fellow trade deadline acquisition Ekholm did, Bjugstad was more of an insulating depth piece for the Oilers. While this may have left some Oilers fans wanting more, it does speak to how well the line of Warren Foegele, Ryan McLeod, and Derek Ryan played down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs, with McLeod standing out in particular.
Bjugstad has returned to the Arizona Coyotes for the 2023–24 season. Oilers fans upset about his moving on might be few and far between, and more fans might be regretful of his acquisition given that the Oilers fell short of their ultimate goal in 2022–23. Such is the price of being a deadline buyer though, a market we should be expecting to explore at the deadline once more this upcoming season.
In all Bjugstad’s time with the Oilers went about as expected, with a few bright spots. That being said, it was far from a home run. In all a grade of C+ is appropriate given our rubric.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
