Confirmed Trade: [EDM/STL] Paul Fischer, '28 3rd for future considerations

[Mike Jones]

The apology trade! Love it

It helps protect relationships going forward.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

The Oilers have to be pivoting to another D move, right?

LH - Ekholm, Nurse, Kulak
RH - Bouchard, Stecher, Emberson, Brown

Any prospects who can make a push?

 

[FunkyChicken]

Paul Fischer.
AKA Armstrong's lube.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

future considerations is such a massive get

 

[LTIR]

The Oilers have to be pivoting to another D move, right?

LH - Ekholm, Nurse, Kulak
RH - Bouchard, Stecher, Emberson, Brown

Any prospects who can make a push?

Not all prospects but Gleason, Dineen, Wanner, Kemp and longshot Akey

 

[Jeune Poulet]

Don't know what is funnier. Seeing the Blues make yet another move to further sabotage themselves, or seeing HF users who somehow think they are being badass, giggling maniacally and using Hulk emoticons.

 

[Muffin]

Didn't even realize the pick is 2028...

 

[Blanick]

So do I understand this timeline and situation correctly:

1. STL offer sheets both Holloway and Broberg
2. EDM sweats it out trying to find a taker for Ceci or Kulak.
3. EDM pays a 3rd to SJS to take Ceci and that opens up just enough room to match either offer sheet but not both.
4. STL says "hey, we want both, we will give you Fischer and a 3rd to not match"
5. EDM agrees and doesn't match, STL gets both, EDM gets the draft picks.

Is that pretty much what happened here?

Apparently their were a bunch of rumors of the Blues targeting both players for a trade before ultimately going for the offer sheets but balked at Oilers price. So technically that would 1 shifting all the others down.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Consolation prize in Paul Fischer, although I like him a lot.

But the 3rd? lol

In the hands of Edmonton, that pick is as good as trash.

 

[Seachd]

I guess it’s something. But it seems weak from the Oilers to say “we’ve made these moves so we can match Broberg, who is a key piece for us this year…unless you give us a 5th round college guy and a 3rd in 4 years”?

But the Oilers never said that. That’s just what people assumed.

Feels like a bit of a bluff from the Oilers. If they're willing to walk away from these players for a mediocre prospect and a 3rd 100 years from now, I really doubt they had any intention of matching.

As much as I hate it, I think the Oilers dealt with this whole situation pretty well. I guess it will come down to whether Holloway and Broberg are the real deal or not.

Absolutely. I think this shows they didn’t have any intention of matching.

 

[Seachd]

Consolation prize in Paul Fischer, although I like him a lot.

But the 3rd? lol

In the hands of Edmonton, that pick is as good as trash.

Are you new to the NHL? Seen the Oilers’ inventory of draft picks lately? Realized what playoff teams do at the deadline?

 

[ICanMotteBelieveIt]

Diabolical sympathy from STL.
Edmonton got sonned.

 

[94 Oil Drops]

Armstrong to Bowman: "Hey, sorry we stoll both your cars but here's a bicycle."

 

[BKarchitect]

But the Oilers never said that. That’s just what people assumed.



Absolutely. I think this shows they didn’t have any intention of matching.

Framed that way - the timing of the Ceci move is clever. I mean the Oilers may have had every intention of moving Ceci along regardless of these RFA offers, but doing so in this 7-day window essentially becomes something of a feint - “we’ve cleared space, we are prepared to match…give us some extra stuff”.

I mean…I’m not saying that’s definitely how it went down but clearly there was some poker being played by both sides here.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

So Edmonton won't match Broberg and they shipped out Ceci with a draft pick?

An already suspect defensive corps only gets worse.

"Look McDavid, we have a chance to win the cup but unfortunately our defense got even worse so we REALLY need you to try this year, like maybe you can break two of Gretzky's records this year? that's all we really ask just two wee little records"

The Oilers have to be pivoting to another D move, right?

LH - Ekholm, Nurse, Kulak
RH - Bouchard, Stecher, Emberson, Brown

Any prospects who can make a push?

Yea Brobe... oh right

 

[McFlyingV]

The Oilers have to be pivoting to another D move, right?

LH - Ekholm, Nurse, Kulak
RH - Bouchard, Stecher, Emberson, Brown

Any prospects who can make a push?

Think it's more likely an in-season trade. Can add a much more expensive player closer to the TDL with retention than they could add now if they expect Kane back during the season.

 

[McFlyingV]

I guess it’s something. But it seems weak from the Oilers to say “we’ve made these moves so we can match Broberg, who is a key piece for us this year…unless you give us a 5th round college guy and a 3rd in 4 years”?

It’s hard to fathom that should be the difference between matching and not matching when you’ve already traded another blueliner who was getting top four minutes last year…seemingly to make the space to keep the other guy.

As a “threat” mechanism…I don’t see how the juice is worth the squeeze from the Oilers side.

Broberg wasn't exactly a key piece. They were going to give him the opportunity to see if he could be a key piece on the 2nd pairing as a trial run before the trade deadline, but matching this offer sheet now means you have to hope he is that piece because you can't trade him and you have no cap space to upgrade on him if he isn't. Oilers lose out on value here, but they avoid backing themselves into a corner that ultimately could have derailed any of their cup aspirations this year.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Think it's more likely an in-season trade. Can add a much more expensive player closer to the TDL with retention than they could add now if they expect Kane back during the season.

That crossed my mind. Maybe a guy like Emberson proves he can suffice as a #4 in the meantime.

 

[McFlyingV]

That crossed my mind. Maybe a guy like Emberson proves he can suffice as a #4 in the meantime.

I think 3 years of Ceci probably shows he could. Ceci isn't a true #4, more like a #5. Imo the regular season is largely not on their radar given the group they have at forward. They should be able to outscore any of their regular season problems and make a decision later in the year.

 

[krutovsdonut]

So St. Louis is going to end up essentially trading:

Paul Fischer
2025 2nd
2025 3rd
2025 3rd (to Pens to get their 2nd back)
2028 3rd

For:
Dylan Holloway
Philip Broberg
2026 5th (from Pens to get their 2nd back)

you are not an accountant. they either paid their second or they paid the assets they paid to reacquire their second but not both.

so a 2nd, two 3rds and, apparently, a b or c prospect.

also, both players are overpaid with high qo's compared to a normal trade scenario. since a significant part of the value of contract controlled players is the ability to pay them less this weights in the balance.

i don't actually like broberg but i think holloway is decent. this is to me a bad move by the blues.

 

[PocketNines]

Ah the world is theater my friends, it's all just bread and circuses

yep this is a crystalline example of blues and oilers part of a vast conspiracy to just entertain

 

[izzy]

lmao

 

[SomeDude]

you are not an accountant. they either paid their second or they paid the assets they paid to reacquire their second but not both.

so a 2nd, two 3rds and, apparently, a b or c prospect.

also, both players are overpaid with high qo's compared to a normal trade scenario. since a significant part of the value of contract controlled players is the ability to pay them less this weights in the balance.

i don't actually like broberg but i think holloway is decent. this is to me a bad move by the blues.

They still gave the Pens a 2nd in 2026 to replace the one they got back for taking on Hayes which I didn’t include on my list. They literally had to pay to get it back to make the offers. Why would you not account for that?

You could also argue the additional 2nd to remove Hayes cap hit to have the space to eventually make these moves should be counted as well.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

This entire situation is an example of how inefficient offer sheets are for everybody.

The problem is that a trade was probably never possible, because if you're St.Louis you tip off Edmonton. Or, you pay a 1st+ for Broberg.

Ultimately, by leveraging salary cap, St.Louis got Broberg, Holloway, and a 5th for a 2nd, three 3rds, and a C prospect. Edmonton would never have accepted Broberg+Holloway for those picks in a trade back in July. So it comes down to whether the extra cap St.Louis spent was worth the discount from whatever price they would have had to pay for Broberg.

If Holloway wasn't their primary target, they could possibly flip him next year to recoup some of those picks. If he has a decent season and cements himself as an NHL, they can get a 2nd or a few 3rd round picks for him.

 

[LTIR]

Consolation prize in Paul Fischer, although I like him a lot.

But the 3rd? lol

In the hands of Edmonton, that pick is as good as trash.

In the end these are free assets for Edmonton. STL didn't really have to give them up along with the 2nd + 3rd they gave up as compensation