Quoting: Connor_McJesus_97
Edmonton is not trading away Broberg for that! He could become a legit top 2 d. Edmonton gets fleeced in this one
It's becoming incredibly unlikely at this point, and more importantly, it's not going to happen fast enough to matter. Edmonton needs to win now period. It also needs to sustain that winning over the next 5 years. If it can do that, Draisaitl and McDavid have more than enough incentive to stay.
Broberg is not guaranteed be a top-2 defender within 5 years: he's getting either another year in Sweden or a year in the AHL, will likely see Jones-esque treatment and not be a regular in the lineup the year after, and might emerge as a top-4 option by the third or fourth year into this thought experiment. He can either stagnate in his development at this point or find that extra gear, but we're already at that ever-so crucial 5th year.
What gives Edmonton the best opportunity to win the cup now, next year, and the following three years after that? Do we hang onto a piece slated for the bottom end of our roster over this period, or do we make a move to acquire one of the genuine top talents in the league, shed nearly $6M in ineffective cap, and use the resulting $4M next year to upgrade in net and thus guarantee long-term success of this roster?
I like Broberg, and I very much want to see him succeed, but keeping him at all costs makes little sense from the business aspect of "this team exists to win Stanley Cups, not playoff berths". Edmonton has a vast majority of the pieces it needs now to sustain a decade-plus of winning: now's the time to capitalize on it. There is no clearer path to a semifinal appearance than now. The Leafs are great, but shaky, and are going into these playoffs with an indescribable amount of pressure.