With Philip Broberg being fourth on the left side of Edmonton’s depth chart and the team clearly being in win-now mode, Allan Mitchell of The Athletic wonders (subscription link) if the blueliner could be best utilized as a trade asset this season. The 22-year-old spent the bulk of last season with the Oilers, getting into 46 games but was limited to just a goal and seven assists while logging only 12:36 per night. That ATOI dipped to just 6:53 per contest in the playoffs. Broberg, a 2019 first-round pick (8th overall), has had some offensive success in the minors (27 points in 38 games with AHL Bakersfield) and should be able to bring back a considerable asset should GM Ken Holland decide to move him in the coming months if he can’t lock down a bigger role in the lineup.
Elsewhere out in the Pacific:
- Kraken winger Andre Burakovsky has resumed skating as he works his way back from a torn groin muscle he sustained back in February, notes Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. The hope is that the 28-year-old will be fully recovered for training camp next month. Burakovsky led Seattle in scoring at the time of his injury with 39 points in 49 games and was expected to be back just after the trade deadline which played a role in the team opting to not make an addition up front. However, he wound up suffering a setback and underwent surgery which ended his season.
- The Kings’ AHL affiliate in Ontario recently announced the hiring of Adam Brown as their goaltending development coach. The 31-year-old had worked with Los Angeles in a similar role for the past two seasons while also doing some scouting. After working with their goalies throughout the organization, Brown will now work in a more traditional coaching role with the Reign and will be tasked with aiding newcomer Erik Portillo whose rights were acquired back in March.
If Oilers management thinks there in win now mode then management is clueless, Edmonton has no depth at forward, Average to subpar on the blueline, And the goaltending is pedestrian at best!
It does seem like the conversation is trying to avoid the glaring deficiency in the Oilers’ goaltending situation. You could tell who was gonna make the finals during the first round based on how they looked in the net. Lyon was on fire, he got scooped up for a song. NJ was really the only potential threat to them, and now they’re like “eh, Schmid…maybe.” Same with Vegas and Hill. Dallas would’ve gone farther if they had someone to give Oettinger (sp?) a day off. Oilers could’ve snagged someone on the cheap this summer. Skinner’s not that good. Campbell’s done. They gotta do something if they wanna compete for real. Toronto made a move but I wonder if they can shake the curse.
Yes the 24 year old rookie goaltender for Edmonton who had better stats than Lyon should have been replaced by the 30 year old journeyman goalie. I expect that kind of comment from Wilf, but come on man.
I’m not saying they should replace skinner altogether, but if they wanna win the cup they need to do something… anything.
I hope you are right, go Kraken
Skinner was a Calder finalist
Not sure how you expect amazing goaltending with below average defence. They can’t afford a Hellybuck or Demko who can both win games with average D
Gotta give up something to get something. I think Skinner has some real game.
Broberg is not bringing back a considerable asset by himself. He hasn’t shown enought at the NHL level to bring that return back in a trade. Sure, he has upside, but that isn’t bringing back a considerable asset. He could be part of a trade that brings something back, but there will need to be more in the deal for the return to be “considerable.”