Oilers coach talks up Broberg with bold move expected tonight
It’s looking more and more like Philip Broberg will make his 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs debut with the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 tonight.
Though nothing was made official by the team, a look at morning skate gave reporters a pretty good idea of who will likely be slotting in and out of the Oilers lineup. Broberg was among the players who got off the ice early, while defenceman Vincent Desharnais stayed late, indicating the two could swap.
This would be Broberg’s first game of the playoffs this season and just the 11th of his young career. He only appeared in 12 regular-season games with Edmonton this season while putting together a 38-point season with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
Despite the lack of NHL time this season, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch told the media this morning that he believes Broberg is ready to take that next step if they require it from him.
“We have a player [in Broberg] that we feel is NHL-ready… A young defenceman with tremendous upside,” Knoblauch said. “We know if he does get that opportunity [to play tonight], he’s well qualified to do it and could provide something for our team.”
"Our best is necessary to beat a team like this."
Coach Knoblauch shares pre-game remarks ahead of Game 4 of the Western Conference Final vs. Dallas. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/NMZF9NQsqI
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 29, 2024
It hasn’t been the career neither Broberg nor the Oilers envisioned for the 22-year-old Swedish defender. He was drafted eighth overall by Edmonton in 2019 but has failed to become an NHL regular for nearly six seasons since then.
He was expected to get every chance to make the team out of camp in September but failed to take advantage of the opportunity. Now, it seems like he will get another chance to prove himself at the most crucial time of the year.
The Oilers seem to be placing a lot of faith in a player that hasn’t given them much to hope for over the past several seasons, but this type of bold move has become something of a staple in Knoblauch’s playoff tenure with the team.
Despite being a rookie NHL head coach, Knoblauch has shown a willingness to make tough decisions at some of the playoffs’ highest-pressure moments. The first example came in the second round when he decided to bench goaltender Stuart Skinner in favour of Calvin Pickard in Games 4 and 5.
He then took centreman Ryan McLeod out of the lineup for Game 3 against the Stars in what was an unexpected move.
Inserting a defenceman into the lineup who hasn’t played in over a month in a game with dire implications in the Western Conference Final may be his most interesting move to date.
There are things to like about Broberg’s game despite his inability to crack the NHL roster as a regular. For one, he might be the fastest skater on the blueline and could help carry the puck up the ice rather than passing it out. This could wind up being important as the Stars feasted on defensive zone turnovers in Game 3.
The worry about the young Swede is his ability to stay calm under pressure when Dallas is on the attack. The Stars are a possession team and can get the Oilers running around in the defensive zones for minutes at a time, which could be an area where Broberg struggles.
It would be a bold move, but one that Knoblauch seems to be confident in. We’ll see if it pays off.