Blues Sign Logan Mailloux To One-Year Extension
Having just started their game tonight, the St. Louis Blues announced that defenseman Logan Mailloux has been signed to a one-year, one-way contract extension worth $850k.
Acquired by the Blues last summer from Montreal in exchange for Zachary Bolduc, Mailloux has had his struggles this season across 31 games. The 6’3″ righty known as an offensive defender has just two points, and is a -21.
St. Louis, in the process of a youth movement of sorts, clearly still values the former first round pick and is intent on developing him further. Interestingly, given his previous draft status and current production underwhelming, Mailloux will come in on his next deal at a cap hit $25k below his current $875k, although it brings stability with one-way status.
A restricted free agent at season’s end, the organization was in no particular hurry to work out a deal, but with Mailloux now settled, they can turn attention to their other pending restricted free agents: Dylan Holloway, Jonatan Berggren, and Matthew Kessel, with a core essentially locked up.
Subject to criticism considering his play this season, which offers metrics among the league’s worst both offensively and defensively, the 22-year-old is still a project of sorts. Mailloux is in a strange place at the moment, in which he has contributed at the highest level considerably more than his counterparts, other defensemen selected in the back half of the 2021 draft’s first round, but also not showing much progress either.
Fresh out of the OHL, the Windsor, Ontario native burst onto the scene with the Laval Rocket in 2023-24, posting 47 points and representing the team at the AHL All Star Game. There were concerns with his decision-making, especially in his own zone, but Montreal figured to have an intriguing prospect, offering the size and skill on the back end that scouts salivate over.
Breaking into the NHL in eight games as a Hab, Mailloux recorded five points, but he was unable to solidify a role, spending most of 2024-25 back in Laval. After recording 33 points, a step back from his rookie campaign, the Canadiens brought in star Noah Dobson, further clouding Mailloux’s future, already contending with fellow top prospect David Reinbacher.
In a simple player swap, Mailloux was brought in to St. Louis in exchange for Bolduc last July, another 2021 draftee. Since then, he has struggled under Head Coach Jim Montgomery, his defensive lapses especially magnified. Remaining confident in his potential, the Blues have remained patient, keeping him in the lineup of late, mostly in sheltered third pairing roles.
After a hot start with Montreal, Bolduc has cooled off a bit, with 17 points in 46 games. Another restricted free agent to-be, we may figure out the team’s plans with the forward sooner rather than later. Naturally, it will be compared to Mailloux and his deal today, which is indicative that St. Louis remains cautiously optimistic.
With the team seemingly out of playoff reach, Mailloux offers enough raw potential that they have little to lose in giving it another year. By the end of the extension, the righty will be 24, still on the young side, but at an age in which their evaluations can be grounded. St. Louis features accomplished veteran puck movers Justin Faulk and Cam Fowler, who the youngster can lean on.
Typically regarded as the Blues’ top defense prospect, if he’s unable to pan out, thankfully the team has Adam Jiříček coming along, who offers the same size as Mailloux with potentially more sound defensive play. Selected 16th overall in 2024, the Czech is still a ways away from contribution. Philip Broberg, another former first rounder brought in by the team in their retool, has flourished in a big way. The lefty earned a six-year extension last Saturday.
Things have yet to work out for Mailloux, but still in need of youth, the Blues will give it another year to try and unlock his potential.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Lightning’s Brayden Point Out Week-To-Week
Jan. 13th: Head Coach Jon Cooper spoke with the media ahead of tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Per beat writer Benjamin Pierce, Cooper articulated that they’ve avoided the worst-case scenario with Point, meaning Team Canada has as well. Cooper shared that Point is expected to miss the next few weeks with a lower-body injury.
Jan.12th: A star forward named to Team Canada in the upcoming Winter Olympics may have suffered a significant knee injury tonight, as Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point was helped off the ice in Philadelphia, and will not return, as confirmed by the team.
The incident was a strange play, in which Point banged home a rebound for the power play tally, putting Tampa up 3-0, but immediately after, Flyers defender Cam York landed on Point, making him come down awkwardly. York had been sprawling to try and clear the rebound.
Point immediately shook off his gloves and grabbed at his right knee, subsequently being helped off the ice.
The center missed seven games across November-December to close out 2025, but otherwise has been durable over the last three seasons, absent for just five regular season games over the previous last three campaigns. Turning 30 in March, Point has taken a step back from his usual elite scoring pace, with 29 points in 36 games, but still ranks fifth on the team in scoring. The Alberta native anchors the team’s first line as well as their top power play unit. He needs just seven more games to reach the 700 mark with Tampa Bay.
Returning from the injury in December, Point has been on a tear, with 19 points in his last 16 games, figuring to be fully healthy before tonight.
Currently second in the Atlantic, winners of nine in a row, Tampa has shown off their remarkable resilience despite missing players such as Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. They seem to be a lock to reach the playoffs for the eighth straight season, seeking to make another run after three straight first round exits. If Point has to miss significant time, it may force them to enter the center trade market, but the club lacks trade capital along with cap space, and may be forced to lean on more offense internally from Anthony Cirelli and Yanni Gourde.
Also impossible to ignore are possible implications for Team Canada, as the Olympic Games are set to start next month. If needed, the group would have an embarrassment of riches to choose from down the middle, the likes of Connor Bedard, Sam Bennett, Wyatt Johnston, or Mark Scheifele. GM Doug Armstrong would have no shortage of talent to choose from, but would need to select the player best suited for bottom-six duty.
Although the hope is that the star has avoided a major injury, there is reason for both Tampa Bay and Team Canada to be fearing the worst. Updates will be watched urgently, as the Bolts are back in action tomorrow at Pittsburgh.
Assessing Potential Landing Spots For Artemi Panarin
On the heels of a 2-6-2 record over their last 10 games, speculation has begun building that the New York Rangers will eventually trade winger Artemi Panarin ahead of the trade deadline. In his recent episode of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman linked a few teams to the pending unrestricted free agent.
Though much of it was speculation, Friedman listed the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Washington Capitals as potential landing spots for the four-time All-Star. For each of the four teams and additional options, a significant effort would be required to acquire Panarin.
For starters, Panarin has the seventh-highest cap hit in the league with an $11.64MM mark. However, he’s only earning an $8MM salary this season, meaning he’s somewhat more palatable in terms of actual dollars. Still, few teams would be able to absorb that cap hit outright.
Additionally, Panarin has a full no-movement clause in his contract. That means that even if the Rangers find an acceptable offer, one that balances the cap hit of all parties involved, Panarin would still need to sign off on the deal. If he decides he’d like to remain in New York to finish the season and pursue other options next summer, the Rangers won’t have any options and could conceivably lose him for nothing.
Lastly, there are no recent comparables to Panarin’s situation, especially if the acquiring team doesn’t quickly pursue a contract extension. Last season, winger Mikko Rantanen was traded twice and eventually signed an extension with the Dallas Stars after failing to gain traction with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Still, for the sake of argument, let’s run with the idea that a team could theoretically clear all the hurdles needed to acquire Panarin. His value to a potential team couldn’t be clearer, as he’s scored 202 goals and 600 points in 476 games throughout the duration of his contract with the Rangers, already climbing to ninth all-time on the franchise leaderboards.
Friedman thoroughly explained his reasoning behind Colorado, sharing that the Avalanche offered Panarin a four-year, $52MM ($13MM AAV) contract back in 2019. Although the Avalanche were ready to give Panarin nearly 16% of their available dollars at the time, they had not yet signed Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar to their high-priced extensions. Much has changed for Colorado since then.
In Florida, the only way the Panthers would be able to acquire Panarin without moving heaven and earth would be if the team were certain that Aleksander Barkov would not return for the playoffs this season. In an odd twist, that’s almost an argument as to why the Panthers shouldn’t pursue Panarin as a rental, given their chances of competing for a third consecutive Stanley Cup title without their captain.
Lastly, the connection to Minnesota and Washington is clear. Either destination would allow Panarin to play with another high-level countryman in Kirill Kaprizov or Alex Ovechkin. It’s important to remember that although the Rangers may not be inclined to move Panarin to a Metropolitan Division rival, they recently traded K’Andre Miller to the Hurricanes last summer.
Regardless, as much fun as it is to speculate on where Panarin could end up, there’s no guarantee he’ll even leave New York. However, given the complex nature of manufacturing a Panarin trade, the Rangers will have to make a decision sooner rather than later.
Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images.
Oilers Activate Tristan Jarry, Jake Walman
The Edmonton Oilers are nearly back to full force. According to a team announcement, the Oilers have activated goaltender Tristan Jarry and defenseman Jake Walman from their long-term injured reserve.
The moving parts don’t end there either. In the same announcement, Edmonton shared that they’ve moved veteran forward Adam Henrique to the long-term injured reserve, and have converted netminder Connor Ingram‘s emergency recall into standard one.
Despite being acquired a month ago, the Oilers have seen very little of Jarry. In only his third game with the team, Jarry left the contest with a lower-body injury and hasn’t played since.
Throughout his brief intro to the team, he played relatively well, being credited for three wins in his three starts. However, much of that had to do with the performance of the team in front of him, as Jarry only managed an .887 SV%, 3.08 GAA, and -0.7 Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA).
It is still too small a sample size to accurately predict his future performance in Edmonton. Before the trade, Jarry had managed a 9-3-1 record in 14 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins with a .909 SV%, 2.66 GAA, and 4.8 GSAA.
Meanwhile, the Oilers will get a major boost to their defensive core with the return of Walman. The 29-year-old blueliner hasn’t played since late November due to a lower-body injury, missing the team’s last 23 games.
Before the injury, Walman was his typically steady self, scoring three goals and 10 points in 17 games while averaging more than 20 minutes per game. Still, Edmonton will want more stability from him on the defensive side of the puck, as he’s only managed an 85.4% on-ice SV% at even strength this season.
On the other side of the transaction, the Oilers have expectedly moved Henrique to the LTIR. The 16-year veteran suffered an undisclosed injury on January 6th and isn’t expected to return until after the Olympics.
Lastly, Edmonton will surprisingly move forward with three netminders on the active roster. Despite having a disastrous performance with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, Ingram has provided some stability in net for the Oilers of late. In his first year with the organization, he has managed a 4-2-1 record in seven games with a .904 SV% and 2.70 GAA. If he continues his success, fellow netminder Calvin Pickard‘s days with the team could be numbered.
Quinn Hughes Wanted To Go To Red Wings
In yesterday’s iteration of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman claims that defenseman Quinn Hughes wanted to go to the Detroit Red Wings when the Vancouver Canucks were entertaining trade offers. However, Friedman indicated that General Manager Steve Yzerman was unwilling to pay the lofty price if an extension wasn’t guaranteed.
Hughes was eventually traded to the Minnesota Wild for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, and a 2026 first-round pick. Detroit was known to be one of the speculative suitors at the time. However, many pundits believed that defenseman Simon Edvinsson was the major sticking point in negotiations, as being a player the Red Wings were unwilling to part with. Yesterday’s report from Friedman certainly alters that narrative.
Additionally, given that he’s not scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency until after the 2026-27 season, Hughes isn’t eligible to sign an extension until July 1st, 2026. Friedman’s report indicates that Yzerman was hoping for a verbal commitment from Hughes and his agent, Pat Brisson, that the former Norris Trophy winner would sign a long-term contract with Detroit. Although Hughes can’t sign an extension until the upcoming summer, he’s able to begin negotiating one whenever he pleases.
While it ultimately didn’t work out with Detroit on the trade front, they will certainly be a team to look out for if Hughes reaches free agency in 2027. However, that’s a big if.
There’s no doubting the connection. Hughes played for four years in southeast Michigan with the United States National Team Development Program before attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for two years. Still, he’s had a seamless transition to the Wild organization, scoring one goal and 16 points in 15 games while averaging nearly 28 minutes of ice time per game.
It appears that the lack of extension could be a major sticking point for Yzerman leading up to the trade deadline. In the same episode on Monday, Friedman discussed the recent speculation connecting the Red Wings to Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson, noting that Detroit would likely avoid him if he is not willing to commit long-term.
Regardless, it’ll be a breath of fresh air to a Red Wings fan base that has been starving for a big-time addition by Yzerman, particularly on defense. The team is on pace to get over the playoff hurdle, sitting in first place in the highly competitive Atlantic Division with a 28-15-4 record. However, it’s important to remember that Detroit has played the most games of any team in the division.
The Red Wings should be comfortable with their top pairing. The combination of Edvinsson and Moritz Seider is one of the league’s best at even strength, averaging a 55.2% xGoals%. However, there’s a stark drop-off in performance from the second pairing. Veteran Ben Chiarot and rookie Axel Sandin Pellikka have combined for a 45.8% mark, which ranks 81st out of the 99 defensive pairings that have played in 200 or more minutes together.
If Detroit can remain healthy after the Olympic break, all rumors suggest a significant addition to their defense. However, regarding the rental market, the quality of potential trade candidates is thin. Given the desire to stay away from a player who isn’t willing to stay with the team long-term, the Red Wings could look to the market for defensemen signed beyond this season.
Blue Jackets Fire Dean Evason, Steve McCarthy; Hire Rick Bowness
The Columbus Blue Jackets have relieved head coach Dean Evason and assistant coach Steve McCarthy of their duties. In Evason’s place, the Blue Jackets have hired veteran head coach Rick Bowness, who last coached with the Winnipeg Jets in the 2023-24 season.
Evason will become the first head coach to lose his chair this season. His ousting comes right after Columbus snapped a four-game losing streak with an overtime win against the Utah Mammoth on Sunday. Despite the three-goal performance, the Blue Jackets’ brass will opt for a change. Columbus ranks dead-last in the Eastern Conference this season with a 19-19-7 record. That record is better than four Western Conference teams.
Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said on the firing:
This season has been a frustrating one for all of us and the bottom line is we are not performing at a level that meets our expectations… Dean did a tremendous job last year under extremely difficult circumstances and I thank him for that. I also want to thank Steve for his commitment to our club over the past five years.
Columbus hired Evason in July 2024 to replace rookie, interim head-coach Pascal Vincent after they were unable to bring on veteran coach Mike Babcock. Evason joined Columbus just two months after the GM chair was turned over to Waddell. The two inherited a Blue Jackets club that posted a dismal 27-43-12 record, scored the eighth-fewest goals, and allowed the second-most in the 2023-24 season.
New management faced an incredibly difficult task, made unimaginably worse by the passing of star winger Johnny Gaudreau in the months leading up to the 2024-25 season.
The Blue Jackets’ 2024-25 campaign seemed off to another rough start until a mid-season surge pushed them up the standings. Columbus posted a 10-3-1 record in the month of January, spurred by veteran Sean Monahan and a breakout from winger Kirill Marchenko. The club ended the season with a commendable 40-33-9 record, though they ultimately missed out on the playoffs by just one win.
That one win was the margin of error headed into the 2025-26 campaign. Even with the standout performances from Russian wingers Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov, and a bit more reliability in net, the Blue Jackets have fallen well under their mark this season. The club seems well positioned for yet another top pick, a seemingly moot success for a lineup already younger than the NHL average. Much more important would be a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which Columbus hasn’t seen since 2020.
With that motivation, the club will oust the rough-and-tumble Evason as well as assistant McCarthy, who has been on Columbus’ bench since 2021 and served on the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters bench for another five years. McCarthy, a former pro defenseman, was in charge of Columbus’ blue-line – which has finished in the bottom-seven for goals-allowed in every season under his helm.
The Blue Jackets will move forward under the lead of veteran Bowness, who brings over 40 years of coaching experience to Ohio. Bowness led the Jets to the postseason in both of his two years with the club, though lost in the first round both times. That was the same result he faced in his last of two-and-a-half years with the Dallas Stars – a tenure that kciked off with Bowness leading the Stars to the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals after being hired partway through the year.
Prior to his time in Dallas, Bowness was a career associate head coach, having spent five years in Tampa Bay, seven years in Vancouver, and seven years in Phoenix in addition to other roles. His last head coaching experience prior to 2020 was all the way back in 2003-04, when he led the Coyotes to a 2-12-3-3 record as an interim head coach. Before then, he served as the New York Islanders’ interim from 1997 to 1998, combining for a 38-50-12 record. Bowness has made two trips to the Stanley Cup Finals in his coaching career but didn’t take home the Cup.
Prior to his coaching days, Bowness was a hard-nosed bruiser in the minor-leagues, where he twice won the CHL Championship before minor-leagues merged into the modern AHL. He appeared in 173 NHL games over the course of an eight-year pro career and racked up 55 points and 191 penalty minutes.
Stars’ Jamie Benn To Return After Nose Injury
The Dallas Stars will add captain Jamie Benn back to the lineup in Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings per Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News. Benn has missed the last three games with a nose injury sustained on January 4th.
Benn was seen sporting a visor during Monday’s practice, a surprising move for one of the league’s few remaining players who do not wear face protection. The NHL began requiring visors in 2013 but grandfathered in current players who choose not to wear one. 13 years later, three other players continue to not wear a visor: Ryan O’Reilly, Zach Bogosian, and Ryan Reaves.
Head coach Glen Gulutzan joked about Benn’s visor, having coached the captain in the AHL – where all players must wear visors – back in 2010, as captured by Owen Newkirk of DLLS Sports. Benn wore a visor during his rookie NHL season but hasn’t worn one since, save for one game in January 2017 after his nose was broken by a high stick, per Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports.
Dallas posted a 1-1-1 record in Benn’s absence and scored at least three goals in every game. They will welcome another offensive spark after losing Saturday’s game against the San Jose Sharks in overtime. Benn hasn’t found his usual offensive spark this season, though. He missed the start of the year due to a collapsed lung and has only scored 14 points, split evenly, in 23 games since. Most of that scoring has come in chunks since December, with Benn sporting two four-game scoring droughts split by a four-game point streak over the last month-and-a-half.
Benn’s return could prompt some shifting in Dallas’ lineup. He has spent the bulk of his time this season alongside Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson – a role that was taken over by Mavrik Bourque over the last three games. Bourque scored one point in the trial run, likely low enough to bump him back to a tandem with Matt Duchene and Justin Hryckowian, while Colin Blackwell falls out of the lineup. Benn could also return to a role on the power-play in place of Bourque or Hryckowian.
Dallas will look to snap a recent lull with their captain back in the lineup. The Stars have posted a 1-3-4 record in their last eight games, a far fall from the 8-2-1 record they posted in their first 11 games of December. Benn was a core member of the lineup through that winning stretch and should bring the Stars lineup closer to normal, though they still face injuries to Tyler Seguin and Lian Bichsel.
Senators Sign James Reimer
Jan. 12: Reimer’s pending agreement has been registered. Ottawa announced they’ve inked him to a one-year deal worth a prorated salary of $850K. That’s despite the veteran getting lit up in his debut for Belleville last night, allowing six goals on 28 shots for a .786 SV% in an overtime loss to Rochester.
Jan. 8: The Ottawa Senators will be taking a look at a veteran goaltender, as James Reimer has been signed to an AHL professional tryout agreement, per Darren Dreger of TSN. According to Dreger, Reimer is expected to report to Ottawa in the next few days with an NHL contract.
With #1 option Linus Ullmark taking a leave of absence for personal reasons, the team needs help for the time being. Mads Søgaard was recalled from AHL Belleville earlier today, but he, along with Leevi Merilainen, surrendered eight goals in a resounding defeat against Colorado tonight. Merilainen has backed up Ullmark so far this season and played 15 games, but the 23-year-old has a 6-8 record and an .868 goals-against-average. Such a result tonight was indicative that a move was needed. Even once Ullmark returns, Reimer figures to be a steady enough backup, allowing Merilainen to develop further.
Reimer, 37, was listed as an outside option available to Ottawa just five days ago, and sure enough, the veteran has earned an opportunity to extend his career. Unable to secure a contract from his tryout with Toronto in the fall, Reimer will technically join the AHL’s Belleville Senators for now. If he were to play in a “tune-up” of sorts, it would be his first AHL action since the 2010-11 season as a Toronto Marlie.
As long as he takes the crease for Ottawa at some point, they would become Reimer’s eighth NHL club. Belleville also offers Hunter Shepard between the pipes, a respectable AHLer, but the 30-year-old has not played at the same level as he did with the Hershey Bears over the past several seasons. Currently 23rd in the AHL despite having the league’s second-highest scorer in Arthur Kaliyev, Belleville has lacked stability in net, and the latest news in Ottawa only intensifies it.
At this point, the Sens have little to lose by bringing in a netminder with over 500 games of NHL experience. Reimer’s patience to keep playing has paid off, and the 2006 draftee could appear sooner rather than later, given the circumstances.
Canucks Place Thatcher Demko On Injured Reserve
More discouraging news has hit the Vancouver Canucks, as they shared this afternoon that Thatcher Demko has been placed on injured reserve, his second such designation this season. The injury-plagued goaltender left last night’s game after the first period, and with fans fearing the worse, after the 5-0 loss Head Coach Adam Foote confirmed to reporters, including The Athletic’s Thomas Drance, that it was indeed a lower-body injury.
Based on the designation, Demko will miss at least the next 10 days, but after constant knee issues over the past few years, as well as a groin ailment earlier this season, it is another tough blow. A turnaround is effectively out of reach for the team, currently last in the league, losers of six in a row, and without a regulation win since December 19. Firmly out of contention, there is no real urgency to get Demko back in the crease, but having just turned 30, the past Vezina finalist and All-Star may be faced with dreaded questions on his long-term career outlook.
As they recalled Nikita Tolopilo under emergency conditions earlier today, Vancouver will move forward in the time being with him alongside Kevin Lankinen, a usually well-regarded backup, who unfortunately has struggled this season, with a 6-11-4 record, and an .883 save percentage, a career-worst mark for the 30-year-old.
Due to their star back stopper’s constant injury struggles, Lankinen played in 51 games last season, his first as a Canuck, a career high. Knowing they were in need of a dependable #2 option, Vancouver locked down the Finn on a five year extension worth $4.5MM per season. Lankinen figures to be a mainstay for the blue and green for years to come, and although the group’s overarching struggles are surely a factor, they will need more from Lankinen given the combination of his contract and Demko’s status.
Demko himself is in for a big raise starting in 2026-27, as he inked a three year extension last July, worth $8.5MM per season. Back then, GM Patrik Allvin figured the group would make noise on the way to a playoff return, on the back of a healthy Demko, but with a group rattled by injuries and Foote’s imprint unable to bring such results, the Canucks are left with more questions than ever.
The hope is that Demko will avoid another long-term absence, already having missed a month so far this campaign. While he could return as soon as January 23 against New Jersey, naturally there’s reason for more concern. Simply shutting down their star in a lost season could become a real option, leaving Lankinen to backstop the group into what could be a long spring.
Blues Sign Philip Broberg To Six-Year Extension
According to a team announcement, the St. Louis Blues have signed pending restricted free agent defenseman Philip Broberg to a six-year, $48MM ($8MM AAV) extension. The new deal will keep Broberg in St. Louis through the 2031-32 NHL season.
The staff over at PuckPedia revealed Broberg’s contract breakdown relatively soon after:
- Year 1: $10MM salary
- Year 2: $10MM salary
- Year 3: $9.25MM salary, full no-trade clause
- Year 4: $6.75MM salary, full no-trade clause
- Year 5: $6MM salary, 20-team no-trade clause
- Year 6: $6MM salary, 15-team no-trade clause
It’s impressive how well Broberg has turned his career around since joining the Blues organization. Broberg, 24, was drafted eighth overall in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, but never found his way with the organization.
He spent a few years in his native Sweden after being drafted, primarily with the SHL’s Skellefteå AIK. It wasn’t until the 2021-22 season that Broberg finally made the journey to North America, splitting time between the Oilers and the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
The two-way defenseman played fairly well with the Condors, scoring 11 goals and 65 points in 87 games with a +23 rating over three years. Unfortunately, he didn’t even come close to that production in Edmonton, finishing with two goals and 13 points in 81 games with a -5 rating.
Much of that had to do with his usage. He only averaged 12:42 of ice time throughout his tenure in Edmonton, starting most of his shifts in the offensive zone. Despite averaging a fairly solid 54.9% CorsiFor% at even strength, the Oilers never gave Broberg much room to grow.
Due to limited salary cap space, the Oilers delayed contract negotiations with Broberg after his entry-level contract expired following the 2023-24 season. There was speculation that he might receive a more significant role with the team after a strong performance throughout the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. Helping the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006, Broberg finished with two goals and one assist in 10 games with a +8 rating, averaging 15:48 of ice time.
That’s when the Blues stepped in. In a rare move, St. Louis signed Broberg, along with teammate Dylan Holloway, to an offer sheet. The Oilers declined to match either offer, and the Blues acquired both Broberg and Holloway for a few draft picks.
Averaging more than 20 minutes a night throughout his first year with the Blues, Broberg immediately became the defenseman that Edmonton thought he would be when they drafted him. He finished the 2024-25 campaign with eight goals and 29 points in 68 games with a +21 rating. Despite seeing his CF% at even strength drop to a career low, Broberg was exceptional on the defensive side of the puck, finishing with a 93.7% on-ice SV% at even strength.
Much of that has continued this season. Broberg has played in all 45 games for the Blues, and is now averaging more than 23 minutes a night in a top-pairing role. He’s remained an enthusiastic shot blocker and one of the highest-IQ blue liners on the defensive side of the puck.
Although the salary is nearly double what Broberg is already paying, it’s difficult to argue that he isn’t worth it. In early December, despite suggesting that contract talks hadn’t begun yet, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic speculated that Broberg could earn as high as an $8MM salary on his next deal, and that proved exactly right. AFP Analytics projected him a bit lower at $7.3MM on a long-term deal.
Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images.