As the Oilers finish up training camp, the choices are narrowing down quickly for who will fill out the outer regions of the roster. On the forward end, things are shaking up into a battle between Lavoie and Pederson for the final forward spot. On the back end, it’s narrowing down to a battle between Broberg and Desharnais.
When it comes to the Oilers’ blue line, there are already five spots guaranteed. They belong to Nurse, Ekholm, Bouchard, Kulak, and Ceci. In your average lineup with only six defensemen, that leaves only one spot left. But there are two men, Broberg and Desharnais, applying.
What Spot?
The spot up for grabs is a bit of an odd one: it’s on the Oilers’ right side on the second pair with Mattias Ekholm. It seems natural that the battle should be for the third pair spot, and that may well be where either of these two men finishes the season, but for now, it is the second pair spot they are battling for.
The first pair for the Oilers should be Nurse-Bouchard. The coaches have hinted at that pair lots and are giving them time in the preseason as well to try and make it work.
The third pair for the Oilers is shaping up to be Kulak-Ceci. These two combined are probably making too much money for third-pair guys, but together they should make up one of the best 3rd pairs in the entire league. If you have them on the roster already, you may as well put it to work.
That leaves the second pair as Ekholm-Broberg/Desharnais. Neither of whom has played a full season in the NHL yet, so asking them to take on 2nd pair minutes may be a tall task for either of them.
As for time on ice, the second pair should be expected to play somewhere in the range of 18-20 minutes per night. Last season, Broberg played an average of 12:36 TOI/GP, and Desharnais played 13:32/GP. For either of them to play up to second pairing minutes, they will have to increase their TOI by 6-8 minutes per game on average. That’s a fairly big leap for either player.
What skills do either player bring to the table though to compete and eat up that ice time?
Broberg
Broberg still has draft pedigree that gives him an advantage. In a fair world, where you get drafted should mean very little, but Broberg was a high 1st round pick who has been expected to be a big part of the Oilers’ roster for years to come, and this is the year the Oilers are expecting him to take a big step forward. That is going to give him a large leash and an inside track to the job.
Broberg also has advantages that include his skating ability and passing. Broberg can get the puck moving in the right direction quickly with either a quick outlet pass or skate it out of trouble. In his 46 GP last season, Broberg finished with a 57.29 CF% and a 52.73 GF%, meaning that when he was out there in third-pairing minutes, he delivered, outscoring the opposition when he was on the ice and outshooting them by quite a margin.
Ekholm and Broberg also have a good relationship with each other, and some are hoping Ekholm could mentor and protect Broberg out on the ice like he did with Bouchard last year. Both are Swedish and have shown some chemistry together off the ice at least. With stronger opposition coming your way Broberg would have to use his speed and passing ability to get away and create space for himself and close down opposition space quickly.
Broberg doesn’t have everything going his way though. He shoots left, and generally NHL coaches want right shots on the right and left shots on the left. He’d be playing on his offside, which he has done often enough before, but it does have a less natural feel than being on your true side. Broberg also doesn’t kill penalties. The team does have Ekholm, Ceci, and Nurse, so it’s not a big deal, but having more than only some decent 5-on-5 play could really help. However, Broberg doesn’t have that in his game at this point.
Desharnais
Vincent Desharnais does not come anywhere close to the same pedigree as Broberg. Desharnais was a 6th-round pick of the Oilers way back in 2016 and only got into his first NHL games last season. He found his way onto the roster due to his large frame – 6’6, 215lbs. He is a monster out there on the back end for the Oilers.
His height became a real advantage for the Oilers while trying to help steady their defense. He often used his long stick to break up plays and force opponents to the outside, limiting high-danger chances in the offensive zone. Though tall and fairly defensively responsible, he does lack foot speed and a good first pass. He is never going to be like Evan Bouchard, racking up points, but he can be a sturdy stay-at-home defensemen, protecting the front of the net from the opposition.
He finished last year with a stunning 60% GF at 5-on-5, and also finished with a 50.07% CF. Even though Desharnais barely was on the ice to outshoot his opponents, his GF% stands out in a big way. Desharnais’ expected GF% was only 53%, so some of his numbers may be due to luck, but you can’t discount the fact that he did post those numbers. If that is something he could feasibly replicate, that would be huge, but posting a 60% GF is something unsustainable in this league, especially if he moved up to the 2nd pair.
Desharnais’s advantage lies in the fact that he shoots right, so he naturally fits the position compared to Broberg. He also has the advantage of being a better defender, which is a lot of what the Oilers are looking for. They already have enough offence on the back end with Nurse, Bouchard, and Ekholm, so having someone who can play good defence will be highly valued by the Oilers coaches.
Both?
This honestly seems like a big possibility; it’s one the coach said he wants to avoid this year. He wants to go 12-6 more often. But if the coach likes having Broberg and Desharnais in the lineup compared to Lavoie or Pederson, it is something that could happen.
I think this is not a good plan. I believe that if either of them is going to play and grow, they need all the minutes they can get. Dressing 7 defensemen won’t help them get the minutes they need.
In the long run, I believe Broberg is the better fit on defence. He has the skills to develop into a top 4 defensemen, even if he isn’t there yet. However, during training camp, it seems like Desharnais may have the inside edge. It will be a tough call as they play different roles.
If the Oilers defence is going to succeed this year, they need Broberg to be the guy in the second pair, and be a player who takes a step forward and plays a solid, if unspectacular, even-strength game for the Oilers this season.
To start the season, I believe Broberg will be in the opening night lineup. However, if he quickly starts to struggle, Desharnais will be on the roster as the 21st man, ready to step in.
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