The Oilers would like Philip Broberg to be part of the team’s expanded roster, if play resumes

Ryan Rishaug tweeted out an interesting tidbit of information today, reporting that, in the event of a return to play scenario, the Oilers would like to add 2019 first-round pick Philip Broberg to their roster.

As Rishaug says here, a return to play would see teams operate with a larger roster than the typical 23-man roster they use during the season. Since the AHL season has been cancelled and there aren’t farm teams to recall players from, it has been suggested teams would be allowed to carry up to 30 players with them on their roster.

In this instance, it’s unlikely that the Oilers would actually be interested in Broberg appearing in any games. I mean, tossing him into a playoff game after having not played competitively in months would certainly be a jarring way to make his NHL debut.

The logic here, I would guess, is that the Oilers simply want Broberg around for hands-on coaching with the team. This would serve as an opportunity to provide Broberg with hands-on coaching, which is important given the fact there very likely won’t be an organizational prospects camp this summer for him to attend.

This is obviously very hypothetical as we don’t yet know if the league is actually going to return, let alone how the rosters would look and who’s allowed to be on them. That said, if Broberg could be involved in the team’s playoff run, it would surely be a beneficial experience for him.