Oilers loan former first-round pick to AHL amid trade rumors

The Edmonton Oilers have swapped defensemen, recalling Ben Gleason and sending Philip Broberg to the AHL. Broberg has been the talk of many trade rumors recently, with the Oilers granting the former eighth overall pick permission to seek a trade on Dec. 5.

Broberg has seen inconsistent ice time throughout his 10 games with the Oilers this season, playing fewer than eight minutes in three of his last five games. These short-lived outings have brought his average ice time down to just 10:32, a decrease from the 12:36 he averaged last season. The 22-year-old defenseman has already appeared in four AHL games this season, netting two points. Broberg has played in 79 games throughout his NHL career, scoring 11 points. He is one of two players from the 2019 NHL Draft’s top 10 to not play in at least 100 NHL games yet, alongside Los Angeles’ Alex Turcotte.

This swap gives Gleason a chance to play in his first NHL games since the 2018-19 season when the defender appeared in four games with the Dallas Stars. Outside of that small NHL sample, Gleason has spent much of his career with the AHL’s Texas Stars, totaling 290 games with the team over the last five seasons. This year is Gleason’s first with a new club, signing a two-year, two-way, $1.6M contract with the Oilers this summer. He’s started the contract with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, leading the team’s defensemen in scoring with nine points through 14 games. Gleason will look to score his first NHL goal if he’s able to slot into the lineup on this recall.