Oilers Won’t Keep Broberg Long Term Based On Report – Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

After a great 10-game showing in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Edmonton Oilers fans were very excited about Philip Broberg’s future. It’s been a rough year for the eighth overall pick in 2019, but he proved to be worth the wait, and certainly dispelled any doubts about him being a draft bust.

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Oilers fans won’t get to experience his rise to stardom, however, as he was signed to a two-year contract by the St. Louis Blues, Stan Bowman and his management team chose not to be different. The decision not to opt out of the 23-year-old’s contract surprised some, even though they did reach for the $4.58 million salary he earned. However, at least part of their thinking was somewhat embellished.

Broberg wanted to move on

As mentioned, it took Broberg a while before making an impact at the NHL level. In fact, to be completely honest, there is still a lot to be known about what his future holds. The Oilers were very patient with him, as evidenced by the fact that he only signed for 81 regular season games, and 20 more in the playoffs.

While getting your hopes up is usually not seen as a bad thing, the downside is that the player himself can become frustrated. That was the case with Broberg, who requested a trade in early December this past season.

Broberg’s request received a lot of discussion at the time, but many forgot about it heading into the offseason. With his performance in the playoffs, it was clear that he will have a full-time role in the NHL this coming season, leading almost everyone to assume that he is satisfied. According to Elliot Friedman of Sportsnet, it’s not.

“Broberg never retracted his demand for a trade during the offseason, and the Oilers knew he wasn’t happy,” Friedman wrote in his latest 32 Thoughts column.

This, at least, could explain why Broberg didn’t sign as long as he did in the offseason. Based on Friedman’s comments, it seems the Swedish blueliner was still looking for a change of scenery, and having to take what he might have considered a discount to work with the Oilers cap situation could lead to more frustration.

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As rare as the offer sheets are, Broberg and his agent may have thought about what was going on given how tight the Oilers were on the NHL’s massive salary cap. When the Blues came in with an offer that was miles beyond what Broberg could have imagined, it was a no-brainer to sign him. Not only did he get a big salary, but he was able to move on from an organization he no longer wanted to be a part of.

Best Move On For Players Who Don’t Want To Be With Us

With the Oilers having a strong chance to win the Stanley Cup this coming season, it’s important to make sure everyone in the locker room is happy and on board with the ultimate goal at hand. Having players who don’t want to be around can sometimes suck the life out of the locker room, which the Oilers can’t afford, and you don’t have to worry about Broberg being out of the picture.

Of course, this can’t be entirely blamed on Broberg, as he showed during the playoffs that he might be behind the Oilers for the rest of the 2023-24 season. At the same time, it’s hard to blame him for making big money on a payday that was far more than anyone could have imagined.

Ideally, the Oilers would be able to re-sign Broberg, and possibly move away from him in a trade. He certainly would have been worth more than the Oilers just received in the second round as compensation, but nothing can be done now to fix that. Instead, the organization can now look forward, and not have to worry about a possible issue in the locker room this coming season.