Edmonton Oilers grant defenceman Philip Broberg permission to seek trade

Philip Broberg’s tenure in Edmonton could be over sooner rather than later.

Drafted eighth overall in the 2019 draft, Broberg was Ken Holland’s first draft pick as the Oilers’ general manager, and the rearguard hasn’t panned out.

Kevin Weekes first reported news of the Oilers’ exploration; however, a report from Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli stated Broberg’s camp requested permission to seek a trade.

As noted by Seravalli, there’s “solid interest” in Broberg, and that the Oilers would be looking to receive a player back.

The Oilers will look to replicate the trade of Dmitri Samorukov for Klim Kostin they made ahead of the 2022-23 season. It was a swap where both teams had players needing fresh starts, and Kostin was a boon for the Oilers last season, even though the club could not meet his contract demands in the offseason.

In the final year of his entry-level contract that slid twice, Broberg accounts for just $863,333 against the salary cap, and is set for restricted free agency at seasons end.

The Oilers’ selection of Broberg has been much-maligned, given the successes other players selected after him have seen. Trevor Zegras, taken one pick behind Broberg, has scored 50 goals and 141 points in 192 NHL games. Matt Boldy was selected 12th overall and has scored 49 goals and 112 points in 143 games. Cole Caufield was taken 15th overall, scoring 60 goals and 104 points in 148 games.

Broberg, meanwhile, has appeared in just 79 NHL games for the team over the last three seasons, struggling to get a foothold in the lineup. Players like Vincent Desharnais, drafted in the 7th round of the 2016 draft, have greatly surpassed Broberg on the depth chart due to being a better fit on the Oilers’ third pair.

Meanwhile, the Oilers haven’t precisely done Broberg any favours. Some injuries have limited him, but he’s yet to play more than 50 percent of games at the NHL or AHL level. In Bakersfield, however, he’s gotten more runway playing more significant minutes and has produced six goals and 29 points in 42 games.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.