When the Edmonton Oilers were navigating the St. Louis Blues’ aggressive offer sheets of Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, they had a clean modus operandi not to lose the on-ice value those players brought to the team.
It was clear early on they were not in a favourable position to match the offers, given Broberg’s new deal would’ve cost them a little over $4.5-million annually and Holloway’s a shade over $2.29-million. The Oilers would decline to match, but they swung two other deals to help replace the value of the young players, acquiring winger Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks and defenceman Ty Emberson from the San Jose Sharks.
In fact, in thanks to the deal that brought Emberson to town, they were also able to move out Cody Ceci, clearing his $3.25-million cap hit from their books. It was shrewd management from the organization, as their new players were right in the same age range as the aforementioned two.
Podkolzin brought with pedigree as a 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft, looking for a change of scenery after a tough few years in Vancouver. Emberson, meanwhile, had familiarity with Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch from the 2022-23 season, a noted fan of his game, when both were with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, where the blue liner was named that leagues Eastern Conference shutdown defenceman of the year.
Emberson got into his first NHL action last season in San Jose, dealing with some injuries playing just 30 games, but he impressed, scoring a goal and 10 points in 30 games, while posting strong relative underlying numbers on the worst team in the league.
And while he’s not a household name, as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli highlighted Thursday, he’s a prime candidate to breakout this season:
This should all be music to the ears of Oilers fans. Ceci had noticeable struggles the further he got along in his tenure with the team, with a significant drop-off during last year’s playoffs. While there might be more offensive upside in Broberg’s game, thanks to his ability to transport the puck with his feet, a strong first pass can be just as effective.
Emberson’s drawn in for two pre-season games with the Oilers so far, outscored 2-0 at five-on-five, but with him on the ice, the team has driven play to the tune of a 58.6 percent shot attempt share and a 65.8 percent expected goal share, while controlling the high-danger scoring chances 9-3.
In training camp, Emberson’s continued to get a look alongside Darnell Nurse in Ceci’s old spot, and this could be a great pairing for the Oilers this season.