New Report Suggests Broberg-Oilers Relationship Beyond Repair

Elliotte Friedman noted on the 32 Thoughts Podcast that Philip Broberg and the Edmonton Oilers may have been at a point last season and then again when the offer sheets were tendered by the St. Louis Blues where fixing their relationship was going to be difficult. Friedman confirmed that the defenseman did ask for a trade in December of 2023 and while he bounced back and found a role in the playoffs for Edmonton, Friedman notes, “I’m just not convinced he ever changed his mind.”

Reports have come out since the Blues offer sheets suggesting former GM Ken Holland was instructed to get a deal done with Broberg when he was injured and in the minors. Friedman believe Broberg might have been asking for a salary in the $1.8 million range over two years. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic says he talked to Holland at that time, and the then-GM said “he felt a lengthy and expensive financial commitment — especially earlier than necessary — would have removed precious dollars from the coffers to further augment the supporting cast around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.”

In other words, Holland had other priorities that he felt were more time-sensitive and important.

Broberg was set to have a larger role in the 2023-24 season and play alongside Mattias Ekholm. Unfortunately, an injury in camp changed everything. It was several injuries to Broberg that had the Oilers concerned with a longer-term commitment. They’d been patient with the defender, but he hadn’t given them reason to believe a big investment was wise.

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So too, when Broberg was healthy, he found it difficult to crack the Oilers’ roster, especially under former coach Jay Woodcroft. An 11-7 deployment (which Woodcroft liked) meant very limited minutes for Broberg, which didn’t help his development. He was sent back to Bakersfield and that might have been one of the decisions that frustrated the defenseman to the point he felt the writing was on the wall. Even if Holland were to have offered an extension, Broberg wasn’t about to sign it.

Interest in Broberg Was Too Little, Too Late

By the time the Oilers were ready to talk extension, Broberg’s mind had already been made up. If another option was out there, he was going to explore it. He wasn’t an unrestricted free agent, so his choices were limited, but the offer sheet in St. Louis was a no-brainer. And, when the offer came in at $4.58 million he would have wasted no time in signing it. Strong playoff performance or not, his mind had been made up months ago.

In the Oilers’ defense, Holland wasn’t necessarily wrong to decline to sign Broberg to a bigger deal. It looks bad now based on the circumstances, but this is St. Louis taking a risk here, and their timing, if it pans out, is impeccable. Perhaps it’s best to let a disgruntled Broberg walk. Take the second-round pick, find another option and see if Broberg pans out. If he does, the Oilers will wish things had gone differently, but less will be made of the sting in losing him if they win the Stanley Cup.

Next: Buchnevich Trade Rumors Hint Offer Sheets to Oilers No Surprise