Philip Broberg and the Edmonton Oilers have a broken relationship

Insider Elliotte Friedman believes that the Edmonton Oilers and Philip Broberg have a relationship that is beyond repair, with no more respect for each other.

There are roughly three days to go until the hockey world finds out whether the Oilers matched the offer sheets sent by the St. Louis Blues for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway.

Insider Elliotte Friedman believes the problems between Philip Broberg and the Edmonton Oilers began back in November or December 2023. During that time, Broberg was having a hard time securing a full-time spot in the Oilers lineup. Not only was Broberg facing this issue under former coach Jay Woodcroft, but also under new bench boss Kris Knoblauch.

Due to this lack of playing time on multiple occasions, Philip Broberg's agent reached out to the team and requested a trade. There was never any actual confirmation as to whether the Oilers agreed to this request, however the fact that this issue even happened goes to show that the relationship between the two sides was broken for quite some time now.

The Oilers fan base is very angry that the team has to deal with this now. Philip Broberg was such a good player for the team in the most recent playoffs, so it's crazy to think the team is going to lose him just as he enters his prime. What a mess.

Elliotte Friedman doesn't believe the issue is Ken Holland's fault, as the relationship appears to have been finished even before contract negotiations would have started towards the second half of last season. Friedman went on to say that even if Holland did approach Broberg with a contract offer in say, March or April, he likely would not even have agreed to it if he wanted out of Edmonton, so this ultimately comes down to the player here, not the former GM.

Regardless of how valuable a player may seem to a team, if they no longer want to be part of an organization, why force the issue? At this point, it may be best for the Oilers to let the Blues have Philip Broberg, and in return they can get some draft picks for him and move on to signing other players.

Philip Broberg played in only 12 games for the Oilers last season and only had two assists. He did suit up in 10 playoff games and managed to score twice while adding one assist.

Source: Oil On WhyteNo love lost between Philip Broberg and the Oilers

Source: HockeyDBPhilip Broberg Stats

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