When the Edmonton Oilers decided not to match the St. Louis Blues' offer sheet of two years x $4.58 million for Philip Broberg, they were taking a gamble. Yes, it was a lot of money to bring Broberg back, together with speculation that the two sides were no longer on good terms, but it was still a case of letting an extremely talented defenceman walk (skate).
Well, it now seems as if the gamble has paid off, at least in a manner of speaking. While no one would ever mistake Ty Emberson for being as talented as Broberg, he has still proven to be a success in Edmonton, ever since he arrived as part of the trade deal which sent Codi Ceci to the San Jose Sharks.
Emberson has formed a solid third pairing with Brett Kulak, which has proven to be an important part of the Oilers' success this season. The 24-year-old is tied-third on the team in takeaways, third in hits and fifth in blocks, despite only averaging 14:51 of ice time per contest.
Overall, there is a lot to like about Emberson, who has been eligible to sign a contract extension since Jan. 1. Along these lines, as we previously wrote, the Oilers are eager to get the blue liner tied down to a new deal as soon as possible.
Something new to impact Oilers' negotiations with Ty Emberson
Now though, there is an interesting wrinkle to add into the equation, which may or may not play a part in how likely Emberson is to remain with the team past this season. As per Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal, he played his 80th game in the NHL on Saturday night, in the 4-3 home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This was an important milestone for Emberson, who was previously set to be a Group Six unrestricted free agent this coming summer. Now though, as noted by Leavins, his status changes from unrestricted free agent to restricted free agent and should help his case for a better deal.
The 2018 third round draft pick is currently earning $950k for the 2024-25 season, but how much could he command in his next deal? AFP Analytics have him down for a two-year extension worth just over $2.36 million per season, but Leavins believes three years x $1.5 million would be more appropriate.
As long as Emberson continues to perform as he has done up to this point, we predict two or three years at $2 million per season seems fair. In any, event, he's going to do well when he signs his next deal, and it's entirely deserved given all that he has achieved so far with the Oilers in Edmonton.
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