Philip Broberg would have been another promising blueliner in the system
While the Canadiens weren’t linked to Philip Broberg, he’s been buried in Edmonton’s system for a while now despite receiving quite a few chances to play throughout the years. Broberg hasn’t caught on, and a change of conferences would have been an ideal move for the 22-year-old.
Unlike Armia, who likely would have required more than a simple player swap, the Canadiens could have ‘bought’ Broberg and perhaps even a late-round pick by sending over an experienced player in David Savard, who the Oilers could have immediately plugged into their lineup. And he’s someone Edmonton could have used despite scoring a recent shutout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins with goaltender Calvin Pickard.
The truth is, their primary goaltender, Stuart Skinner, has not fared as well as his record and numbers show, evidenced by his nine ‘really bad starts.’ He is also beyond inconsistent - either ultra-hot or ultra-cold in stretches. Right now, Skinner is ultra-hot, having allowed two or fewer goals in each game between February 26th and March 9th.
In his six starts before that, Skinner logged an 0.858 save percentage and was one of the league’s worst goaltenders in that stretch. By sending Savard to Edmonton for at least Broberg, Edmonton would have gotten a physical blueliner capable of blocking would-be shots on goal and clearing the net, and the Canadiens would have acquired an intriguing asset.