'What a steal!': Former Edmonton Oiler strikes it rich with huge deal in St. Louis

This in, news that the St. Louis Blues have signed defenseman Philip Broberg, 24, to a six-year deal worth $8 million per year.

Here’s some early reaction:

The Athletic’s stat analyst Dom Luszczyszyn???? @domluszczyszyn
A great deal for Philip Broberg who emerged as a legitimate top four defenseman last year and has proven himself further as a shutdown force this season.

ESPN St. Louis commentator Alex Ferrario @Ferrario101ESPN
We talked about this on the podcast, I said anything past 2 years was a win IMO. The fact they have Broberg until he’s 30 at 8 mil? What a steal!… Put it this way, Darnel Nurse is making 9.5 mil for EDM, has 16 points and is a -11. Broberg has the same amount of points, plays more minutes & is a neutral, on a team that has the worst goal differential in NHL. He’s making 1.5 mil less. Best win of the season for St. Louis Blues.

NHL commentator Mike Bartner @MikeBartner
6’4” 24 year old defenseman that skate like this do not grow on trees. Broberg going from in and out of the EDM lineup 19 months ago to a 6x8M is so sick.

Blue Hockey Now reporter Josh Berg @JoshBerg0611
This is a steal for the St. Louis Blues 6 years at an $8 million AAV is well below where top pairing defenseman are typically being paid given the increasing salary cap. Broberg’s game has elevated drastically this season taking on heavy minutes, assuming his offense can reach another level this is going to age wonderfully.

My take

1. I had a sick feeling the day that St. Louis signed Broberg and Dylan Holloway to offer sheets in August 2024. I feel a bit better about it now. But the unexpected departure of young talent reminded me of when the Oilers lost young restricted free agent Adam Graves to the New York Rangers, a blow that crippled the 1990s Oilers. Graves would have been Edmonton’s captain, but suddenly he was gone.

2. Broberg was also recently named to Team Sweden, beating out veteran Oilers d-man Mattias Ekholm, a testament to how far Broberg’s game has come in recent years. He’s proven to be worth the eighth overall pick the Oilers invested in him in the 2019 draft.

Holland gets a lot of criticism for his draft record in Edmonton, but selecting Broberg in 2019 and Dylan Holloway in 2020 were excellent picks. Too bad Holland and Jeff Jackson failed to lock up both players on new deals.

3. Broberg was reportedly unhappy in Edmonton when he signed an offer sheet in the summer of 2024 with St. Louis. He had been moved up and down between Bakersfield and Edmonton, his way to the Oilers blocked by veteran d-men such as Darnell Nurse, Ekholm and Brett Kulak, with Ekholm and Kulak brought in through trade during Broberg’s time in Edmonton.

But Broberg showed his quality with strong play in the 2024 playoffs. He held his own in a partnership with Nurse.

4. Broberg and Holloway’s loss on offer sheets represent a major blow to Edmonton, a significant screw-up by Oilers management. Edmonton might well have won the Cup last year if Broberg and Holloway were on the team. There’s no glossing over that bungle. It was huge, and it likely would never have happened if interim GM Jackson had not overspent on free agents like Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson and Adam Henrique in early July 2024. Jackson left the Oilers vulnerable to offer sheets.

5. All that said, Oilers GM Stan Bowman traded a first round pick to get Walman, 29, who now acts as Broberg’s replacement in Edmonton.

And Vasily Podkolzin, another deft Bowman pick-up, has been one helluva great replacement for Holloway.

Holloway had an outstanding regular season last year until he went out with injury, and he’s again out with injury this year, just as he often was with the Oilers.

Injury will be a major factor in how Holloway’s loss will be seen in years to come.

6. We shall see which player, Broberg or Walman, is the better performer in the next six years. Walman signed a seven year deal at $7 million per year, which kicks in next year as well.

Overall I’d take Broberg over Walman on their respective deals.

My bet is on Walman in the short term but Broberg in the long term, as Broberg is just entering his prime.

Walman has more snap to his game, better attacking skills and more physical play on defence, but Broberg is the superior skater and the sounder positional defender.

Of course, staying healthy will be critical with either player.

At the Cult of Hockey

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