Arvidsson was a good signing but this seems like overkill. If rumors are true and Evander Kane is being shoved out then maybe... but I think there are more pressing needs like D and Goalie. There is still a lot of time to re-shape but initally it looks like a big leap of faith in Broberg and Stuart Skinner. With 29 and 97 futures in the balance...
The truth about Broberg is the Oilers have been slow-rolling his development for years, he is a top pedigree elite skating defenceman. It was scary injecting him in the lineup deep in a playoff run, but overall his arrival is well-expected. typical Ken Holland overripening of prospects. Now that he has SCF games under his belt where he not only didnt look out of place but looked good even in a top 4 role on his off-side…. Where’s the risk? Another 82 games and this guy will be well-seasoned and reliable as a top6 D minimum.
Skinner is interesting, he was a rookie last year and I think a lot of consternation and blame was unfairly placed at his feet. What do you expect of a rookie league min goalie exactly? Carrying a team to a cup? In his hometown under mega pressure no less. This year as a sophomore and with a fresh contract, it was fair to expect a little more. Jack Campbell was the presumptive veteran #2 out of the gates (which he failed at), but Skinner came in preparing and understanding that this was his net. There were ups and downs, but this guy is still a SOPHOMORE……
What’s more, is that this guy gets paid very little. The Oilers roster is constructed down the middle with a huge percentage of the cap going to star centers (and Nurse). The way the oilers are built, they’re not looking for Skinner to outperform a 10+ million $ goalie on the other end of the sheet. Thats our franchise centers jobs. His job is just to hold us in games, and he is now battle-tested down to game 7 of a SCF where he only allowed 2 goals. IMO it’s hard not to be bullish on what Skinner is capable of (behind tHIS team, to be clear - i dont think he would be carrying the Ducks to a playoff berth anytime soon, if you get me).
So anyway… longwinded way of saying, I think they are alright on the Skinner/Broberg front. They may look to upgrade 1 RD in-season if they can swing it, but Broberg will be in the top 6 all year guaranteed.
Draisaitl has had to carry around shamefully below-average wingers for most of his career and even then he has had good results. If 100% of the weight of line 2 production wasn’t on him, maybe it wouldn’t have been completely shut down in the later rounds in the playoffs when he was injured. If theres 3 good players on the Drai line, my man will COOK when healthy, and if injured they’ll still be a decent line instead of being totally anemic. Giving Drai some help is overdue and could pay dividends.