Confirmed Signing with Link: [STL] F Dylan Holloway (2 years, $2.290457M AAV) and D Philip Broberg (2 years, $4.580917M AAV) sign offer sheets with the Blues (not matched)

[ManofSteel55]

You can not waive or put peeps on ltir till season starts. In which you have to be cap compliant. So back to the begining. You lose one or both players. If edm was going tp match they would have already. They are feverishly trying to trade cap out and guess what no 1st or 2nd in 2025 i doubt they want to use a firat or second in 2026. So nobody is taking your dead conyracts for free especially now edm is in a jam. Also teams would rather edm be worse then help them out.

That's not necessarily true. If you look back at the history of offer sheets, they are rarely matched immediately. Often, they aren't matched until right before the end of the 7 day period. It's gamesmanship, if they know they are matching, it gives the GM who just offer sheeted them one week less to figure out their next moves.

There is a short period prior to the season starting where you can send players down and put them on LTIR - the issue is that teams want to be cap compliant before putting a player on LTIR, to best maximize their LTIR space over the course of the year.

The only dead contract Edmonton has is so dead it isn't tradeable. Nobody knows what Edmonton is doing behind the scenes here, so you posturing it as Edmonton desperately trying to trade a piece is just a theory at this point.

 

[PocketNines]

What I'd do as the Oilers:
1. Match both guys.
2. Trade Kulak before the season starts
3. Trade Holloway when Kane comes back (pump up his value by playing him top 2 lines until then).

can't trade Holloway for a year now

 

[Captain Mountain]

No it isn't.

It's a tool to protect young players so they get fair value offers.

If you're knowingly and dumbly overpaying the player like the Blues and Hurricanes have done, you are sabotaging the players' value and, more importantly, your own team.

Its a tool that only works if it gets used. Which almost never happens. Only offering "fair" contracts makes it as effective a tool as a hammer made of paper. And offersheets only have a chance of working if you do overpay for a player.

And these players are still FREE AGENTS. There are just restrictions (compensation/can be matched). Unrestricted Free Agents get knowingly and dumbly overpaid more than they get fairly paid. Which is "sabotaging the players' value and, more importantly, your own team."

What a player is worth to one team is not the same as the other. For St. Louis, they have lots of cap flexibility and are in no man's land. with No young D coming soon. They're better off giving up a 2nd and a short term deal for a young D than overpaying a veteran D.

Edmonton gambled in their negotiations that there wasn't an offersheet out there and lost. Most other teams have won.

 

[GOilers88]

We're not on those post game flights from Edmonton to LA at 2:20am.

We're not on the trainers table to deal with the bone spurs in our ankle from blocking a slap shot

We're not in the coaches office getting yelled at for making a bad outlet pass because we're playing off hand and those passes are much harder to make from the backhand.

And we're not talking to teams about paying us $4.6MM per year when we just made $70k the year before.

We're just fans that turn on the TV 2 minutes before the puck drops and miss the 2nd period because we ate too much Chipotle and need to spend that time on the toilet.

Getting upset at Broberg or Holloway says 110% about the poster and 0.0% about those two players.

It kills me when people get upset at players for taking bigger contracts or signing with other teams.

Organizations dump players all the time. Contracts don't equal loyalty.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Waivers dont happen till the begining od the season in which you have to be cap compliant. You realize that it still has to be approved by nhl and to spend 10% over. Why do you rhink we are on day 3 and no news of the matxh cause the gm is feverishly trying to find a solution. Edm doesnt have a 1st or 2nd in 2025 and i dount they arw willing to use a 1st pr 2nd 2026 to move dead weight. Edm.management backed them self into a corner. Blues just got a top 4 lhd for a 2nd. Possiblyba young 3lw as well foe a 3rd. Army doesnt make these miatakes he always has the deals done on rfas before offersheets can occur. This was poor management

Waivers go into effect 12 days before the regular season begins. Teams have to be cap compliant by the last day of training camp. Teams can put players on LTIR during training camp.

The Blues likely have found a young player who might be a top 4 LHD. He's not a top 4 defenseman right now, and there is no reason to state he is one. He has that potential for sure, but he hasn't proven it yet.

I expect they let Holloway go - a 2nd is likely what the Oilers could have gotten in return for him if they were trading him, it's a fair trade off in that sense. I also expect they will keep Holloway. They can afford to match his OS if they don't match Broberg's.

 

[Drew Doubty]

Losing Holloway and Broberg won't hurt the team in the short term but the entire point of bringing along young players is to have cheap contracts during their early years and the Broberg deal essentially kills that. I would match both because I think Broberg is going to become a very good top 4 Dman and Holloway a decent middle six winger. Oilers management have can only blame themselves for lettign both players get to this point.

Matching both simply doesn't work. Trading Ceci and putting Kane on LTIR is a short-term solution, when Kane gets back they'd need to move about 3.5 million more. Then who goes? Kulak? Okay now your D is probably the worst in the NHL. They'd have to move someone like Skinner, who they just signed, which wouldn't look great. Kane has an NMC so it's probably next to impossible to trade him, plus it would cost a fortune.

 

[Robtom18]

That's not necessarily true. If you look back at the history of offer sheets, they are rarely matched immediately. Often, they aren't matched until right before the end of the 7 day period. It's gamesmanship, if they know they are matching, it gives the GM who just offer sheeted them one week less to figure out their next moves.

There is a short period prior to the season starting where you can send players down and put them on LTIR - the issue is that teams want to be cap compliant before putting a player on LTIR, to best maximize their LTIR space over the course of the year.

The only dead contract Edmonton has is so dead it isn't tradeable. Nobody knows what Edmonton is doing behind the scenes here, so you posturing it as Edmonton desperately trying to trade a piece is just a theory at this point.

They are in a tight spot

 

[Majorityof1]

No it isn't.

It's a tool to protect young players so they get fair value offers.

If you're knowingly and dumbly overpaying the player like the Blues and Hurricanes have done, you are sabotaging the players' value and, more importantly, your own team.

I'm interested how this hurts the Blues? We will still be under the cap plus having Krug's LTIR if needed. Krug's full NTC drops next year. He'll be gone. Next year Neighbours and Hofer are the only potential big raises. Is this any worse than overpaying for 30+ yo UFA who are going the opposite direction for 6+ years?

 

[Robtom18]

Matching both simply doesn't work. Trading Ceci and putting Kane on LTIR is a short-term solution, when Kane gets back they'd need to move about 3.5 million more. Then who goes? Kulak? Okay now your D is probably the worst in the NHL. They'd have to move someone like Skinner, who they just signed, which wouldn't look great. Kane has an NMC so it's probably next to impossible to trade him, plus it would cost a fortune.

First trading ceci will cost picks you dont have. Alot of edm players will cost picks yo move. No 1st or 2nd in 2025 so now u trade 1st 2nd in 2026. I dont see stan doing that

 

[McShogun99]

Matching both simply doesn't work. Trading Ceci and putting Kane on LTIR is a short-term solution, when Kane gets back they'd need to move about 3.5 million more. Then who goes? Kulak? Okay now your D is probably the worst in the NHL. They'd have to move someone like Skinner, who they just signed, which wouldn't look great. Kane has an NMC so it's probably next to impossible to trade him, plus it would cost a fortune.

I have a feeling Kane won't be back until game 1 of the playoffs. Plus it's a long season and other players will probably go on LTIR and open some temporary space.

 

[Robtom18]

I'm interested how this hurts the Blues? We will still be under the cap plus having Krug's LTIR if needed. Krug's full NTC drops next year. He'll be gone. Next year Neighbours and Hofer are the only potential big raises. Is this any worse than overpaying for 30+ yo UFA who are going the opposite direction for 6+ years?

Nice rebuttal. Edm fans are bhurt at blues broberg and hollaway when they should be mad at missmanagement from oilers front office

 

[krutovsdonut]

strategically, the blues may be hoping for holloway here. oilers are overinvested in broberg as their defensive depth solution so they have to keep him. but holloway as well is too much for cap scrambling and can be replaced with a plug.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I hope this starts a trend of more offer sheets. It separates good management from poor management.
I think too many teams were getting complacent thinking no one would ever dare use them based on a league wide understanding. Edmonton left a pretty big target on themselves though by hiring Bowman and being tight against the cap in mid August with two RFA’s still unsigned.
While the circumstances here were pretty unique hopefully it breaks the unwritten rule and we see more teams take advantage of teams that have backed themselves into a corner.

 

[Robtom18]

I have a feeling Kane won't be back until game 1 of the playoffs. Plus it's a long season and other players will probably go on LTIR and open some temporary space.

Cant be 8 mill over cap to start season.

 

[Connor McConnor]

Matching both simply doesn't work. Trading Ceci and putting Kane on LTIR is a short-term solution, when Kane gets back they'd need to move about 3.5 million more. Then who goes? Kulak? Okay now your D is probably the worst in the NHL. They'd have to move someone like Skinner, who they just signed, which wouldn't look great. Kane has an NMC so it's probably next to impossible to trade him, plus it would cost a fortune.

Ah yes, Ceci and Kulak were the foundational pieces behind Edmonton playing some of the best defensive hockey in the League after January. Some people on here like to spout nonsense with absolute zero hockey IQ. Multiple teams have expressed interest in Kane, dealing him won't be an issue but hey you probably think we need to attach a 1st

 

[GOilers88]

Nice rebuttal. Edm fans are bhurt at blues broberg and hollaway when they should be mad at missmanagement from oilers front office

Let's not pretend that fans of any team wouldn't be miffed if another team threw out a couple of savvy OS to a couple of young, up and coming players.

You have to tip your cap though. OS for impact players are silly and will continue to be basically non exisistent. Teams looking to hold cheap potential depth players, especially young ones, should absolutely be more leary of this though. This should absolutely happen more.

 

[ManofSteel55]

They are in a tight spot

They absolutely are in a tight spot. But that doesn't mean the only options are to let both players go or trade someone. They can match Holloway. They can match Broberg if they make a trade. Whether they can, and it is the right move for the team given their cap situation is the real question, and that is something Oiler management won't tip their hand on.

 

[Robtom18]

strategically, the blues may be hoping for holloway here. oilers are overinvested in broberg as their defensive depth solution so they have to keep him. but holloway as well is too much for cap scrambling and can be replaced with a plug.

Blues are shooting for broberg. Edm cant pay him hollaway might be let go too. Either wsy if edm does sign them both which i higly doubt then they ate cap strapped and will have issues signing bouch and drais.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Ah yes, Ceci and Kulak were the foundational pieces behind Edmonton playing some of the best defensive hockey in the League after January. Some people on here like to spout nonsense with absolute zero hockey IQ. Multiple teams have expressed interest in Kane, dealing him won't be an issue but hey you probably think we need to attach a 1st

Dealing Kane will be an issue, he has a NMC and doesn't want to be traded.

 

[Robtom18]

Let's not pretend that fans of any team wouldn't be miffed if another team threw out a couple of savvy OS to a couple of young, up and coming players.

Edm shouldnt have signed a bunch of ufas instead of taking care of thier players first. Missmanagement

 

[VeteranPresence]

I didn’t realize Holloway was the head coach and controlled the lines, that’s crazy

Unless he has perfected human cloning, he is definitely not playing with McDavid or Draisaitl unless the Oilers match, so...?

One of the crazier takes I have seen in years! Holloway could easily project to a $9M player. Wow. He had 9 points in 38 games.

Then why did St. Louis offer him the money they did? If it was not just to hurt the Oilers, they must also see something in him to justify a very expensive bridge and then an even pricier QO at the end.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Blues are shooting for broberg. Edm cant pay him hollaway might be let go too. Either wsy if edm does sign them both which i higly doubt then they ate cap strapped and will have issues signing bouch and drais.

These offer sheets won't affect signing Draisaitl at all. The Oilers will need to make room to sign Bouchard to an extension if they match, but they have an entire year to figure that out, and some pieces on the team that wouldn't be hard to trade to make room, if they have to. It will hurt their depth though, that's for sure.

 

[GOilers88]

Edm shouldnt have signed a bunch of ufas instead of taking care of thier players first. Missmanagement

I think simply crying mismanagement is silly too. You have no idea what contracts were offered to either of these guys in the summer. Teams leave RFA's open all the time, usually opting to sign them near the end.

Fact is, neither player is worth what St. Louis offered. Broberg was never getting a deal near that from Edmonton, or likely any teams around the league. It behooves the player to sit on an offer if he thinks he could do better elsewhere. Broberg simply hit the jackpot this summer.

 

[Robtom18]

They absolutely are in a tight spot. But that doesn't mean the only options are to let both players go or trade someone. They can match Holloway. They can match Broberg if they make a trade. Whether they can, and it is the right move for the team given their cap situation is the real question, and that is something Oiler management won't tip their hand on.

Who can you trade for 4.6 mil and 2.2 mil. Thats 6.8 mil who is going to take sub par players with out wanting picks to take vontract. Especially to help edm out of a tight

 

[ManofSteel55]

Unless he has perfected human cloning, he is definitely not playing with McDavid or Draisaitl unless the Oilers match, so...?



Then why did St. Louis offer him the money they did? If it was not just to hurt the Oilers, they must also see something in him to justify a very expensive bridge and then an even pricier QO at the end.

Because 1) they can afford to, and 2) that's what teams have to do with offer sheets. If they offer fair market value, the player likely won't sign, or the team with their negotiating rights just matches the offer. Also, I anticipate that Broberg is the real target here, and that the Blues would like Holloway, but the biggest purpose of the Holloway offer sheet could be that it makes it harder to match the Broberg one.