The wound left by the St. Louis Blues taking Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg continues to fester. As Team Sweden announced their 2026 Olympic roster, they made a surprise move, opting to leave Edmonton Oilers blueliner Mattias Ekholm at home and take Philip Broberg to Italy instead. Ekholm suited up for Sweden at the Four Nations Faceoff last year.
This is shocking, as many predictions had Ekholm as a shoo-in for a spot on the team.
Ekholm versus Broberg: Who is the better defenceman?
It’s hard to see why Sweden opted for Broberg over Ekholm. Not only does Mattias Ekholm have the experience as a veteran in the league, but he also has more goals, assists, points, and a better +/- on the year. Even more, he has played in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals runs and understands how to play in high-pressure situations. A veteran of 119 playoff games, Ekholm is a player who elevates when the chips are down, and in the 2023-24 playoff run, he is a leader on the back end, reliable both in his own zone and in the offensive end.
Broberg is going to be a good defenceman in time, but the 24-year-old is still establishing himself in the league. He hasn’t quite found his stride and has yet to feature in a full 82-game season in the league. He has been quite good on the Blues’ blueline, playing an average of 23 minutes per night, but given the choice, having the veteran blueliner in Ekholm seems like a no-brainer.
The fallout from the offer sheet continues
This is yet another Oiler who was snubbed for the Olympics, with Evan Bouchard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman all being omitted from the Team Canada roster. But with Team Canada, there are just so many more players to pick from in the NHL. This omission somehow feels even bigger from Team Sweden.
In any event, hopefully, Connor McDavid can burn Broberg once or twice to make us remember that it isn’t all doom and gloom.
