Oilers recall Devin Shore, loan Philip Broberg to Bakersfield Condors

After setting the rosters earlier in the week, we knew that changes would be coming ahead of tonight’s season opener and we got our first transactions this morning as the team announced that they have recalled Devin Shore while also loaning Philip Broberg to the Bakersfield Condors.

I don’t think I’m talking out of school when I say that Philip Broberg didn’t have the best training camp or pre-season. That’s not to say that I’ve given up on the kid — Gord knows we’re already seeing “bust” talk even though that’s way too early — but it was clear that he wasn’t ready to start the year in the NHL, and I think kicking things off in Bakersfield is exactly what he needs. Not only will he get to play big minutes down there, but I’m hoping that this assignment is a little bit of a wake-up call since many people had his spot on the roster basically written in ink only a few short months ago. Again, I’m not suggesting even for a second that Broberg should be written off based on a slow start, but I do think a little dose of adversity can be beneficial if handled correctly.

As for Devin Shore, we know exactly what we’re getting from him in his third season with the Oilers. He’s going to be a guy that plays on the fourth line and kills penalties, but will never be overly offensive outside of the odd goal here or there. We also know that he’s probably not going to play every game, but that it won’t matter because Devin Shore is the ultimate teammate as we saw in those celebration videos during the playoffs. At the end of the day, Shore is the kind of guy that will give Jay Woodcroft options on the fourth line, and that will prove valuable as the year wears on and players get banged up.

In 375 NHL games played between four different teams, Devin Shore has registered 49 goals and 77 assists for 126 points to go along with 65 PIMs and a -62 rating.

In 23 NHL games played, Philip Broberg has registered a goal and two assists to go along with eight PIMs while averaging 13:28 in TOI.