The Edmonton Oilers will see the return of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway tonight as they host the St. Louis Blues, and Oilers reporter Mark Spector has fans riled up by blaming coach Jay Woodcroft for losing them.
Broberg and Holloway left in the offseason via offer sheets to the Blues, with Broberg citing a need for more ice time and issues with player development in Edmonton.
In a new article for Sportsnet, Mark Spector has assigned Jay Woodcroft some of the blame for those issues with development.
"Woodcroft liked to go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen, and most often it was Broberg whose shifts dwindled as the game wore on. The system contributed to the loss of both Woodcroft's job and Broberg, a wonky bit of coaching methodology that crushed Broberg's soul in Edmonton In the end, the Oilers never knew what they had in Broberg. That's mostly on Woodcroft and his staff"- Mark Spector
Oilers Fans Riled Up at Who To Blame For Losing Broberg and Holloway
Oilers fans are quite riled up at Spector's take on Broberg's problem with player development.
While Broberg did see reduced ice time in his opportunities with the Oilers, it was because he was entirely blocked by veterans that GM Ken Holland had committed to - Ekholm, Nurse, and Kulak.
Forcing Broberg to play his offside and then expecting elite results was never putting him in a position for success, so Woodcroft expanded with an 11 forwards and 7 defence approach - a fine lineup that the Oilers still use if they have a better 7th defenceman than a 12th forward.
If the Oilers were ever serious about keeping Broberg long term and putting him in a position to succeed, Ken Holland should've committed with a contract when Broberg was in the AHL, and then trade Nurse or Kulak at a later date.
Oilers fans took to social media to show their shock about Ken Holland avoiding the real blame for losing the RFAs.
One fan rightfully pointed out that if Broberg had just stayed in the AHL, he wouldn't have been eligible for the offer sheet.
It can never be the coach's fault that a rookie like Broberg was put onto a crowded roster on a playoff-chasing team. It was inevitable Broberg would want to leave, and Oilers president Jeff Jackson admitted that management mistakes destroyed the relationship with Broberg.
The Edmonton Oilers may regret losing a player like Philip Broberg for years to come. In 15 games with St. Louis, he's already set career highs with 2 goals, 12 points, and is playing an effective two-way game on the top pair. It looks like the Oilers lost out on a bona-fide star.
