Things have not exactly gone to plan for Philip Broberg with the Edmonton Oilers. The eight overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft has struggled to maintain a consistent spot in the Oilers’ lineup.
And that struggle is likely what led to Tuesday’s online activity indicating that Broberg is allowed to search for trade opportunities.
Despite what Ken Holland says, anyways.
This, among other things, is just fuel for the fire in why the Oilers have not utilized Broberg correctly during his development, right up to this day.
But is this truly the right move? Is Broberg’s play not deserving of a spot in the lineup? Or even a chance to play his way in?
And if (or when) the team does make a trade involving the young defender, what would they even be able to do or bring in?
Where does Broberg place in his draft class?
Compared to others in his draft class, specifically looking at defenders for a more equivalent development arc, Broberg is not too far out of line in terms of his development.
At this point in his career, Broberg has 79 NHL games with 11 points. There are only four defenders in that draft class with more games played, and two of them were off the table and selected before him anyways. The only two selected after him are Cam York (39 points in 112 games played) and Tobias Bjornfot (15 points in 117 games played).
Of course, there are a collection of forwards that were drafted shortly after Broberg was that are the easy targets for players the Oilers passed on, such as Trevor Zegras, Matt Boldy, and Cole Caufield. But that is a different question over the Oilers’ drafting choices rather than Broberg’s performance. As far as his development goes within his draft class, he is right in line at this point in his career.
How has Broberg actually performed during his development?
In the time he has spent growing his professional game, Broberg has never been bad, per se. Sure, he may not be as flashy or stand out. Especially given the draft position and players taken after him. But there is something to be said about a quiet and steady defender.
The way Broberg has been developed since turning professional in North America has been suspect, however. In his three seasons within the Oilers organization, he has never exceeded 54 total games between the NHL and the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. He has missed a bit of time with injuries, but a bunch of this time is sitting healthy scratched.
And this season, with just 14 games played thus far, he is not on pace to break that career high as he has spent the last most of the last few weeks sitting in the press box.
For a young player who is learning and growing, is playing such a small quantity of games going to be conducive to growth?
It makes sense to provide young players, especially defenders, sheltered minutes as they ease into NHL action. This is what Broberg received last season when he played 46 games and averaged 12:36 of ice time per game with the Oilers.
But looking at his stats from that stretch, one would think he might be ready for a bit more action.
According to Natural Stat Trick, Broberg placed second on the Oilers last season in Corsi for percentage (57.3%) and third in expected goals for percentage (58.7%). And despite being middle of the pack in goals for percentage, the on-ice save percentage of 88.4% on his statline contributes to one of the lowest PDOs on the team at .984.
All-in-all, Broberg performed well in the role he was given.
Instead, moving into 2023–24, Broberg was barely able to be a seventh defender and spent much of the season scratched until he eventually got sent down to the Bakersfield Condors for a while. And has since been recalled and spent most of the last three weeks as a healthy scratch.
Although the Oilers may not be able to afford or fit him on the NHL roster, that is not exactly entirely enough reason to give up on a prospect. Especially with a less than ideal trading situation where the value coming back may not be as high as it could be.
Broberg trade potential
Nevertheless, it appears the player and organization are committed to no longer committing to each other and a trade is inevitable.
The big question now is what would the return even look like?
Broberg has draft pedigree. He is a solid player with a ton of potential, and he should be just fine when provided an opportunity to develop and prove himself.
But he is also at a point of low value given his lack of a role within the Oilers organization.
The initial tweets suggested that the trade would be a money-in-money-out situation. Indicating that they’d move him for veteran depth somewhere in the lineup or a prospect in a similar situation as Broberg’s $863,333 cap hit won’t allow for much to happen.
If that is the case, would the Oilers be interested in a second go-around of Patrick Maroon, someone they know fits in with the team and can be somewhat successful playing on the top lines if needed? Minnesota may have a slight logjam in their depth, however, and wouldn’t need another left defender in at the moment.
Or if they choose a prospect in need of a change of scenery, would they look at Morgan Frost out of Philadelphia? He is a player who has found himself in John Tortorella’s doghouse this season and not getting much of a chance in the lineup. But with 46 points last season in just over 15 minutes of ice time per game, he has shown promise to be a good contributor.
One other option the Oilers could pursue with Broberg is a package deal to acquire the elusive goaltender they so desperately need at times. With a couple being closely watched and talked about, such as Elvis Merzlikins and Sam Montembeault, a package including a promising young defender might appeal to the Columbus Blue Jackets or Montreal Canadiens.
The Oilers could also add Broberg to a package including Cody Ceci in an attempt to acquire an upgrade and shutdown defender, such as Chris Tanev or Mario Ferraro.
The way this situation is being talked about, we will have an answer soon. And it does not look like Broberg will get to properly develop within the Oilers organization.
What do you think the Oilers should do with Broberg? Drop a comment down below.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
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