Edmonton Oilers colour commentator Bob Stauffer posed a question to Oilers’ fans on Twitter recently, asking about the Oilers’ potential defence pairings for next season. He asked them what they thought about Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard on the top pair as he dropped Cody Ceci down to form an expensive $6 million third pairing with Brett Kulak and promoted Philip Broberg to the second pairing alongside Mattias Ekholm.
It’s a question worth exploring as the Oilers’ blue line requires attention; however, if Broberg, who has failed to become a regular in the lineup so far in his career, is slated to start next season in the top four, it comes with potential risks and drawbacks.
Oilers’ GM Ken Holland Not Willing to Trade Broberg
Stauffer has pushed the narrative lately on the “Oilers Now” show that the team should just let Broberg play. It’s a fair assessment, but that also could be due to the fact that the Oilers will not be aggressively pursuing a deal to upgrade their back end this offseason.
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In light of that, I’ve previously written about defenders who could be a good match and identified Brett Pesce from the Carolina Hurricanes, who is rumoured to be on the trade block, as an ideal fit. He’s steady, a right-handed shot and the underlying metrics show he’s a quality defender that would fit in nicely on the Oilers’ back end, but is only signed for one more season. Broberg would likely be the critical piece going Carolina’s way if the Oilers considered trading for Pesce, but general manager (GM) Ken Holland recently said he’s not open to dealing the Swedish defender.
Could Broberg & Ekholm Pairing Work?
In saying that, it’s possible that Broberg thrives in the Oilers’ top four alongside Ekholm from the get-go. Both players are from Sweden, and Ekholm was on the “Oilers Now” show recently and mentioned Broberg’s openness to feedback from his fellow countryman, to help him grow as a full-time NHL player.
One of them will have to play their off-side as both are left-handed shots. As we saw from late last February until the end of the season, Ekholm had a positive effect on Bouchard’s game, and that same effect has the potential to pay dividends on Broberg’s play as well.
On the other hand, if Broberg struggles in the top four to start the season, not only does it risk them potentially losing out on points in the standings, but if at that point the Oilers are open to trading him in a deal for a capable top-four defender, there’s a risk that his trade value will be even lower than it currently stands. Other GMs around the NHL will see that even with offseason training and preparation, the blueliner still isn’t ready for prime-time NHL minutes, four years after being drafted.
Oilers Should Keep Their Best Defensive Pairing Together
The other downfall in starting Broberg in the top four alongside Ekholm is breaking up the tandem of Ekholm and Bouchard. The duo was excellent down the playoff stretch and arguably the best pairing the Oilers had throughout the playoffs and in this writer’s opinion, they should be given every chance to build off of the chemistry they had last season.
Alternatively, if Broberg falters in the top four to start the year, the Oilers could put Ekholm back with Bouchard to form the top pair and would likely be forced to reunite the second pairing of Nurse and Ceci, whom The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman feels the Oilers will likely hang onto to start the season to see if he can find his steady form from the 2021-22 season, rather than find a trade (From “Why the Oilers Are Preparing to Hold On to Cody Ceci This Offseason,” The Athletic, 6/2/23).
However, that also presents a risk, because if the Nurse and Ceci pairing (which was one of the team’s weak links last postseason), struggles again, the ask to acquire a solid top-four blueliner mid-season will be significantly inflated, as moves midseason usually come with a higher price tag than in the offseason due to urgency and other teams’ willingness to pay more.
Nevertheless, GM Holland is in a tough spot. He doesn’t want to give up on Broberg, who was a slight reach at eighth overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, but he also needs to solidify his blue line with very little cap space to work with. That said, the likelihood of the Swedish blueliner struggling in a top-four position to start the season is greater than him becoming a steady second-pairing defenceman.
The Oilers are in win-now mode for a Stanley Cup, and there’s a high probability they’ll be looking to make a move to solidify their d-corps within the next eight months anyway. Because of that, this writer feels that GM Holland should embrace a more assertive stance in finding that solution in this current offseason when the cost could be lower, rather than gambling that Broberg pans out in the top four or hoping Ceci returns to form.
What should the Oilers do with Broberg next season? Have your say in the comments below!