The oilers have a stud in the making with Philip Broberg

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Skyler Walker
July 3, 2023 (9:50 PM)

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There has been much debate about whether the Oilers' choice to select defenseman Phillip Broberg was the right one over other choices such as Cole Caulfield or Trevor Zegras during the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

With both Caulfield and Zegras, the Oilers would have drafted another smaller skilled forward which the Oilers had in abundance. They decided to go after Broberg since the defense has been a question mark on this team in their depth.

Fast forward to 2023 and it appears that the choice was correct. Firstly the 21-year-old defenseman is currently carrying a 6' 3» frame and 199 pounds. This certainly bodes well for the Western Conference style of offense where teams tend to be bigger and heavier. The Oilers need that kind of strength to compete.

It also appears that this defenseman scores well over the 90 percentile in most categories in this post whereas the other two players do not. One thing is for certain defensemen always take time to develop and usually are more impactful as they grow older and more experienced.

Broberg in his shutdown style, has played 22 games, has four assists, and is a +7. He was drafted in the first round 8th overall.

With the lack of heavier defense the Oilers have had over the years, it was certainly refreshing that the Oilers chose this defenceman and tried to continue to bolster their back end for the future.