Insider Suggests Offer Sheet Could Be Coming For Oilers' Philip Broberg

He was the forgotten man on the Edmonton Oilers blueline for much of the past season, spending most of it with the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. But then something unexpected happened, and Philip Broberg all of a sudden became a key member of the Oilers' defense corps as their playoff run advanced into the Finals.

There is no question that rival teams took notice, and with the Oilers already in the red as far as cap space (i.e. they don't have any), Broberg's status as a restricted free agent is a tenuous one for them.

According to insider Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Oilers should definitely be worried about a rival team trying to swoop in and steal the former No. 8 overall pick from Edmonton.

If I were another team, I'd be trying to offer sheet Philip Broberg. I'd give him six years times $4.5 million (AAV). You got a young defenceman who already let you know that he was unhappy with his opportunity... Made the case in the playoffs, that he probably should have been playing all year, with the way that he played.
He now is an important part of their team going forward, and they don't have the ability to keep him if they get an offer sheet. There's really no way to even match that.

After a nice season at Bakersfield, with 38 points in 49 games with a plus/minus of +16, Broberg was on the outside looking in as the Oilers went on their playoff run... Until he was inserted into the lineup for good for Game 5 against the Dallas Stars in the Conference Final. He scored a goal in that game and never looked back.

Broberg finished the playoffs with a +8 rating, three points and 18 blocked shots in 10 games. The exclamation point came in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, when, in a 5-1 Oilers win, he registered an assist, three blocked shots and a +3 rating.

The cat's out of the bag, and the Oilers should be very worried about whether they'll be able to retain Broberg, especially after he was puzzlingly held down in the minors all year.