Broberg was skating the puck along the boards and collided with Leafs forward Mitch Marner. As both players fell down to the ice, Marner seemed to put a lot of weight on top of Broberg's right leg. Broberg was down on the ice for several moments before being assisted off the ice by his teammates.
Sports Doctor Harjan Grewal of the University of British Columbia comments on many NHL injuries, and has made some grim predictions for Broberg. According to Grewal, there is a possibility of structural damage with a torn ACL, MCL, or Meniscus. The recovery timelines for those injuries range from 1 month to 5 months or more.
However, Grewal did follow up with a more positive scenario. The best case scenario for Broberg will be an isolated MCL injury that could keep him out for only 2-3 weeks.
Oilers insider Jim Matheson also said today that Broberg's injury could be severe, with his knee taking the impact of the collision.
St. Louis hasn't provided an official diagnosis for Broberg's injury yet, but missing him in the lineup will be a test for the Blues. Broberg had played over 20 minutes a night in 6 of the last 7 games, and had recently been promoted to the top powerplay. The Blues made a major commitment to Broberg with the offer sheet, and he's followed through by immediately playing a top pair role. In 12 games this year, Broberg has 2 goals and 9 points.
Oilers fans are well aware of Broberg's hot start to the season at this point. Many Oilers fans had called on the team to play Broberg in NHL minutes last season, but they never turned to him until the final games of the playoffs. Frustrated with the lack of opportunity from Ken Holland's Oilers, Broberg was within his rights to leave the team. Oilers fans are just frustrated because he could've been this player for years to come in Edmonton.
Hopefully Broberg avoids the worst case scenario with this injury, and he's able to get back on the ice in the new couple weeks. It must be frustrating for him as well to have a breakout year, only to suffer an injury now.
POLL | ||
Do you think Broberg will be out long term? | ||