Edmonton Oilers loan Phillip Broberg to AHL’s Bakersfield Condors

The Edmonton Oilers loaned defenceman Phillip Broberg to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors on Friday.

A coinciding move to recall a forward is likely coming in the next 24 hours, with the team slated to need another after Connor Brown went down with an injury Thursday night.

Brown suffered a non-contact injury during the second period, against the Dallas Stars. After a defensive zone draw, Brown took a few cross-over strides before turning to exit the zone, and pulled up in discomfort. He skated to the Oilers bench, went down the tunnel and returned shortly thereafter, but it was just for a quick twirl during a commercial break.

Broberg was one of the few waiver-exempt players on the Oilers roster, so it made sense for the club to send him down.

Drafted by the Oilers eighth overall in 2019, Broberg has struggled to find a regular spot in the big clubs lineup. He’s appeared in 77 NHL games over the last three years scoring two goals and 11 points, and has seen 38 games of AHL action over that same stretch scoring six goals and 27 points.

Forward recall options for the Oilers include Raphael Lavoie, Lane Pederson, James Hamblin and Adam Erne. The first three of the listed bunch have shown well early in the AHL season, but Pederson missed a game last week with an undisclosed injury.

Erne, meanwhile, could be the recall option the team chooses given he was in Edmonton already this season, and he could be considered the “lowest-risk” of the bunch. When it comes to Lavoie, my belief is he won’t be recalled until the Oilers feel he’s ready to play in a regular top-nine role. That likely comes at some point this season, but with the team as a whole struggling early this season, I think they will opt to wait a little longer.

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@oilersnation.com.