Oilers to Give Broberg Long Look Before Adding D-Man Via Trade

Elliotte Friedman noted during the intermission of Saturday’s game and his 32 Thoughts segment on Hockey Night in Canada that Edmonton Oilers’ general manager Ken Holland isn’t prepared to make a trade yet to improve the team’s blue line situation. Even though it’s clear that’s the area of weakness for the franchise as they struggle to find consistency and in limiting goals against, Holland wants to give defenseman Philip Broberg a chance to prove he might be the solution to part of their problem.

The rookie defenseman has played some of his better games of late but he’s been hampered by injuries throughout his short NHL career and, as of yet, hasn’t cemented himself a spot on the main roster. It was believed he’d have to play poorly not to get a good look at the start of training camp, but with the season close to half over, Broberg has still only played 15 games this season. That’s not enough of a sample size to know if he can be relied upon to take on a more significant role or if he should be included as part of the trade pieces the Oilers will need to use to land a top-four defenseman ahead of the March 3 NHL Trade Deadline.

Friedman noted that Holland and the Oilers want to give Broberg a real chance to prove himself, not just two-three games to do so either. The idea is to provide Broberg with a big chunk of games before they decide what they want to do with the left side of their blue line and whether names like Joel Edmundson, Jakob Chychrun, Vladislav Gavrikov, or Jake McCabe should be on their radar.

Along with names like Dylan Holloway, Xavier Bourgault, or Reid Schaefer, Broberg is one of the Oilers’ most valuable trade chips.

What Happens If Broberg Plays Well?

If Broberg shows well, the Oilers will potentially shift their focus to other areas. They’ll be getting Evander Kane back in short order and they can try to add another depth forward with the little cap space they have to work with. Kurt Leavins of The Edmonton Journal notes that Kane could return earlier than expected. Leavins writes:

Evander Kane may be less than three weeks away from returning to action. That is way ahead of schedule. And what a boon that would be. The Oilers have lots of skill. But Kane brings a combination of elements: Skill, a shooter mentality, aggressiveness, and swagger. I might suggest the last two are items the club sorely needs. Will he back in time for that Columbus game on the 25^th? Circle the date.

Next: Edmonton Oilers’ Quick Hits: Campbell, Hyman & McDavid