Who might the Oilers be able to get back in a trade for defenceman Philip Broberg?

As Seravalli noted, the Oilers are looking for a roster player in return for Broberg, which presents a challenge considering the team’s salary cap situation. Edmonton is just barely under the cap ceiling, so any player they get in return for Broberg would have to have a cap hit similar to his $863,333 number.

An unestablished defenceman in the final year of his entry-level contract won’t warrant a huge return on the trade market, so the Oilers have two options when it comes to making a Broberg deal. They can look for another struggling young player on an entry-level salary or they can look for a veteran on an inexpensive contract to plug a hole on the roster.

The most obvious path forward for the Oilers would seemingly be moving Broberg for a more established defender to fill into his spot on the bottom pairing. That doesn’t necessarily have to be the case, as the Oilers have options in the AHL, such as Markus Niemalainen and Ben Gleason, so Broberg could be moved for a forward or goaltender.

With all of that in mind, let’s go through some potential options for the Oilers in a Philip Broberg trade.

James Reimer – Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings have gone the entire season with three goaltenders on their roster and the assumption is that they’ll eventually move one of them. The name that keeps coming up in trade rumours is James Reimer, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with Detroit in the summer. Reimer has a .917 save percentage and experience playing in difficult markets, as he began his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In terms of money in, money out, the Red Wings would need to retain part of Reimer’s $1.5 million cap hit, but it would certainly be worth their while to add a young defenceman with upside.

Alexandre Texier – Columbus Blue Jackets

The Oilers have had scouts at Blue Jackets games lately and there are a handful of players that they’re likely considering from one of this season’s obvious sellers. Among them could be forward Alexandre Texier, who’s had a difficult return to Columbus following a year-and-a-half spent in Europe.

Texier had 11 goals and 20 points in 36 games for the Blue Jackets in 2021-22 before being granted an indefinite leave of absence so that he could be with his family back home in France. He spent the 2022-23 season playing in Switzerland and has four goals and seven points through 24 games in his return to the NHL.

Other names beyond Texier from the Blue Jackets on cheap contracts who might make sense for the Oilers are wingers Eric Robinson and Mathieu Olivier and defenceman Adam Boqvist.

Nick Seeler – Philadelphia Flyers

If the Oilers are going to look for a name who can slide right into Broberg’s spot as a sixth or seventh defenceman who rotates in and out of the lineup with Vincent Desharnais, Nick Seeler of the Flyers immediately comes to mind.

The 30-year-old left-handed blueliner has bounced around from the Minnesota Wild to the Chicago Blackhawks and he’s now found a consistent role in Philadelphia. He’s logging 17:20 on the Flyers’ blueline, has a very impressive 22-to-13 on-ice goal differential at even strength, and is among the team’s most-used penalty killers.

This would be a sell-high move for the Flyers, a team not expected to be in the mix for the playoffs. The money works out nicely as well, as Seeler is paid the league minimum at $775k.

Anybody else?

Given Edmonton’s win-now situation, it’s probably most likely that we’ll see the Oilers move Broberg for a veteran player to plug a hole in their lineup.  That said, looking up and down the list of other players from the 2019 draft class, there are a few who could thrive with a change of scenery.

Alex Turcotte, the fifth overall pick by the L.A. Kings, has spent the entire 2023-24 season with the team’s AHL affiliate and hasn’t been able to break through a deep forward group. Peyton Krebs, the 18th overall pick by the Vegas Golden Knights who was later flipped to the Buffalo Sabres as part of the Jack Eichel deal, has just one goal through 23 games this season.