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Draft Day 1 Thoughts - Broberg goes to the Oilers

June 22, 2019, 12:25 PM ET [240 Comments]
Sean Maloughney
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Prior to the New Jersey Devils walking onto the stage and selecting Jack Hughes with the 1st overall pick, there was plenty of buzz on social media surrounding potential deals and trades. Aside from one small trade between the Coyotes and Flyers whereas Arizona traded the 14th and 45th pick to move to the #11 spot to draft Victor Söderström, the day was quiet with each team walking up to make their picks.

EDMONTON SELECTS PHILIP BROBERG

It turns out that the buzz leading up to the draft was true as Ken Holland selected left shooting defenseman Philip Broberg as his first pick as Oilers General Manager. Broberg was sought after by a couple teams, notably Detroit and Vancouver. Edmonton had a few forwards prepared to select if Broberg was gone, but the big speedy defender was clearly the player Edmonton wanted.

My initial reaction to this pick was frustration. The Oilers are deep in exactly two positions, centre and left defence. With the wing depth so clearly lacking and the likes of Trevor Zegras, Matthew Boldy, Cole Caufield, and even Vasili Podkolzin available, seeing Edmonton pick another defenseman felt repetitive.

Looking at it now, I still disagree with the pick but I can understand and respect the mindset that Holland has. Regardless of the player Edmonton selected with the 8th overall pick, they likely wouldn't (nor should) be ready for the NHL for the next two seasons at the very least. Edmonton needs help on the wing now and it is now up to Holland to find ways to address that need immediately.

Broberg is still a strong pick and he has all the tools to be a top pairing defenseman in the NHL. At 6'3 and 198lbs the big man moves fast...not fast for a bigger player...just fast. His top end speed allows him to transport the puck effortlessly and is sharp to read the play and move into position defensively on the fly.

Broberg has only been playing defense for a few years as up until his early teen years he played forward. He wanted more ice time and made the switch to defense but his offensive tendencies still are in the forefront of his play. He is still a very raw player but the development he has made in the past few years is certainly impressive.

Holland was quick to state what his expectations were for Broberg. In a post draft interview, Holland stated that while Broberg could return to Skelleftea next season but also mentioned he felt he could benefit from coming to North America and play in the OHL and the Hamilton Bulldogs. Holland is practicing what he has preached in terms of long term development and it looks like they are going to do right by the left shooting defenseman.

With Klefbom, Broberg, Bouchard, and Nurse in the system, Edmonton is developing a brilliant young core that can play the fast puck moving game that the NHL is transforming into.

QUICK THOUGHTS

- There is always one off the board pick in the top 10 and this year it was Detroit
selecting right shooting defender Moritz Seider at 6th overall.

- As the draft got closer it became more apparent that the Blackhawks were going to pass on Byram for Dach or Turcotte... holy moly the Avs defence is looking scary now. Having Byram fall to them could mean Barrie moves this weekend.

- Caufield falling to 15th and Krebs to 17th were the biggest shocks to me. Krebs injury shouldn't have made that big of an impact and teams were clearly anxious about drafting such a small forward. I think both Vegas and Montreal got real players there.

- Boldy is going to be one of the best picks of this draft. Book it.

- I got 5 picks correct this year which is 3 better than last year... do with that information as you please.

- Bet on Edmonton drafting a forward with their second round pick, a few surprising names still remain in the first round including Kaliyev, Hoglander, Brink, and Lavoie.

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Stay tuned as I will be updating this as the day goes on.
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