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)

[Reality Czech]

The one thing I don't get about all of this is why didn't the Oilers try to trade one or both of these guys if they thought there would be any issues signing them or were vulnerable to an offer sheet. Surely they must have had some feeling about how willing the players were to be in EDM and what their contract demands likely would be. Is this a case of overconfidence that a deal would get done or a front office caught asleep at the wheel?

 

[Fatass]

The one thing I don't get about all of this is why didn't the Oilers try to trade one or both of these guys if they thought there would be any issues signing them or were vulnerable to an offer sheet. Surely they must have had some feeling about how willing the players were to be in EDM and what their contract demands likely would be.

I read somewhere (still looking but can’t find) Broberg was asking for 2 per from the Oilers and the club wouldn’t come up. I can’t see them matching at 4.5 x 2.

 

[Reality Czech]

I read somewhere (still looking but can’t find) Broberg was asking for 2 per from the Oilers and the club wouldn’t come up. I can’t see them matching at 4.5 x 2.

Yeah $1.8 million is what is reported though that was his ask mid-season if I'm not mistaken. Did his ask go up after the season ended? I guess we can only wonder if things happened behind the scenes that soured the relationship between player and team.

But I still don't get why they weren't at least exploring trade options for one or the other before letting them sit unsigned this long. Maybe they were, who knows.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

idk if this has been posted but lmao

https://x.com/i/web/status/1823771177384317106

Good to see Stanley is off to a hot start.

 

[Roof Daddy]

Question to Oiler fans - are you guys upset that Holloway and Broberg signed the offer sheets? Are you happy they went to "secure the bag" or is there some sort of loyalty you'd expect from them (even if meant taking less to play in Edm)?

Genuinely curious

Upset at the players - no, can’t blame them for maximizing their earnings.

Disappointed with the situation - certainly, but it’s our own management that got us into this jam.

When I saw Justin Barron get signed for 2yrs x 1.15, I thought that was a decent benchmark for offers for Broberg and Holloway. Man was I wrong.

As long as we walk out of this having matched Holloway, I’m fine with how it played out. I’d prefer to have Broberg, but not at that money. That 2nd will be good currency to look for a rental D at the deadline.

I do think St.Louis is crazy with what they offered Broberg. He looked good in the finals, but the sample sizes don’t get much smaller than that. Every other opportunity he got prior to that he looked pretty meh. But maybe everything clicked for him finally and it will prove to be a steal?

 

[Pip]

I don’t think making the Cup finals had anything to do with it. Both are former first round picks who really haven’t been given a great opportunity in the NHL in part because of injuries.
I mean looking at the other side before the offer sheets many Oiler fans had Broberg slotted into the second pairing and were high on Holloway as a third line speedy winger with upside.
Now many are saying it’s no big loss if they don’t match.

Without the exposure in the playoffs I really doubt Broberg gets an offer sheet at all never mind for this number. Most would probably say he was trending poorly up until that point.

 

[Weltschmerz]

The one thing I don't get about all of this is why didn't the Oilers try to trade one or both of these guys if they thought there would be any issues signing them or were vulnerable to an offer sheet. Surely they must have had some feeling about how willing the players were to be in EDM and what their contract demands likely would be. Is this a case of overconfidence that a deal would get done or a front office caught asleep at the wheel?

If you promised this a week ago everybody would have told you that offer sheets just don't happen.
During the covid/flatcap time there were many teams out of cap space and not a single offer sheet was signed. The oilers probably just tried to lowball them into cheap contracts.
Add the GM carussel Holland on his way out, then the greatest interim GM of alltimes that created the situation and now Bowman was just a few days on the job.

 

[Robtom18]

Upset at the players - no, can’t blame them for maximizing their earnings.

Disappointed with the situation - certainly, but it’s our own management that got us into this jam.

When I saw Justin Barron get signed for 2yrs x 1.15, I thought that was a decent benchmark for offers for Broberg and Holloway. Man was I wrong.

As long as we walk out of this having matched Holloway, I’m fine with how it played out. I’d prefer to have Broberg, but not at that money. That 2nd will be good currency to look for a rental D at the deadline.

I do think St.Louis is crazy with what they offered Broberg. He looked good in the finals, but the sample sizes don’t get much smaller than that. Every other opportunity he got prior to that he looked pretty meh. But maybe everything clicked for him finally and it will prove to be a steal?

We have been looking for a perm partner for parayko for a long time. Jaybo was perfect leddy is ok krugbwas aweful.

 

[Nut Upstrom]

Oiler fans seemed pretty high on Broberg after last years playoffs. Obviously we need a bigger sample size but that loss would hurt. Holloway I’m guessing they just match even if it’s an overpay.
Smart moves by the Blues taking advantage of a team in cap trouble. Hope this becomes part of a trend and we see more offer sheets.

Oiler fans were probably pretty low on Stan Bowman. Until they signed him.
Im sure they'll do an about face on Broberg as well.
Its just the nature of sports fandom and politics. My guy is good. You guy is bad.

 

[vipera1960]

So, what's the compensation if the offer is half a dollar above the maximum of a range and a half a dollar below the minimum of a range?

The language in the CBA is “over $1,511,701 to $2,290,457” then “over $2,290,457 to $4,580,917” etc, so technically any amount over would jump to the next compensation level. Who knows if they round fractional dollars or just truncate like the IRS. I don’t think we’ve ever seen a contract that included pennies.

 

[Stealth1616]

Question to Oiler fans - are you guys upset that Holloway and Broberg signed the offer sheets? Are you happy they went to "secure the bag" or is there some sort of loyalty you'd expect from them (even if meant taking less to play in Edm)?

Genuinely curious

Can understand why Broberg signed his, that was a no brainer and the organization has kind of screwed him around a little bit (he should also take some blame as he really hasn’t taken advantage of the opportunities he was given)

Holloway is a little disappointing given he is only getting about 1M more then what we would have offered. Would have been fine giving him 1.5M range even. Just kind of seems like he is fine leaving. It was signed to handcuff the team and he was apart of that

 

[Robtom18]

Can understand why Broberg signed his, that was a no brainer and the organization has kind of screwed him around a little bit (he should also take some blame as he really hasn’t taken advantage of the opportunities he was given)

Holloway is a little disappointing given he is only getting about 1M more then what we would have offered. Would have been fine giving him 1.5M range even. Just kind of seems like he is fine leaving. It was signed to handcuff the team and he was apart of that

Difference is holloway will get 3rd line minutes and will play every game. Edm wasnt willing to do that

 

[barriers]

Difference is holloway will get 3rd line minutes and will play every game. Edm wasnt willing to do that

Also, the 2 million-ish dollars

 

[Canovin]

Difference is holloway will get 3rd line minutes and will play every game. Edm wasnt willing to do that

The team moved Holloway to Drai and McDavid line many times. It's his for the taking if he can sustain any resemblance of a top 6 player. He's only shown flashes here and there

 

[TGWL]

Can understand why Broberg signed his, that was a no brainer and the organization has kind of screwed him around a little bit (he should also take some blame as he really hasn’t taken advantage of the opportunities he was given)

Holloway is a little disappointing given he is only getting about 1M more then what we would have offered. Would have been fine giving him 1.5M range even. Just kind of seems like he is fine leaving. It was signed to handcuff the team and he was apart of that

Well it's a million more, per year. Cost of living I think is cheaper in Edmonton, but then you go through the taxes and who knows. I think if Holloway gets more minutes and a bigger opportunity he will earn a bigger pay day in 2 years than if he stayed with Edmonton, so I can definitely see how it's not really just a 1m decision. I feel the expectation is a bit higher right now in Edmonton and I can see the lines juggling a lot more based on needing to score, needing a big goal, etc.

 

[McJedi]

Oh dear, I thought that was a 24 hour thing

Seven 24-hour things

 

[Skolman]

Are they young guys looking to cash in for the first time or vets who've already made millions in their career?

Couldn't be more irrelevant to the post I replied to.

Did that post say Holloway & Broberg specifically?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Question to Oiler fans - are you guys upset that Holloway and Broberg signed the offer sheets? Are you happy they went to "secure the bag" or is there some sort of loyalty you'd expect from them (even if meant taking less to play in Edm)?

Genuinely curious

Not upset with the players. Especially Broberg who got 3 to 4 times what the Oil could/would offer, and walking into a better fit (one where he's able to stay on his natural left side).


Loyalty is the wrong word, but they were part of a group that came within one game of the cup and the general attitude around the team has been to take a little less to run it back and grab reinforcements like Skinner and Arvidsson.

I get that these two aren't in the same situation as the vets, who are all coming off fat contracts and are already set up for life. But on that point, neither player has proven anything at the NHL level. (As in, these two are by far the least proven offer sheet signees since the cap was introduced.)
Cheaper short-term deals similar to Barron's (as @Roof Daddy pointed out) to see where they stood in their development wouldn't have been out of the ordinary. Plus it's not like they were getting the McLeod treatment, where he had to take a pay cut coming off his ELC (when he was already an NHL regular) because the OIl just didn't have the space for more.


Holloways's already more or less a Foegele-like player, so his money isn't bad. Add in the fact he's a bit of a walking bandaid (he's had 1 healthy season post-draft) and I can see why taking the money is a safe choice. But unlike Broberg, I think his agent is giving him some riskier advance.

St. Louis is deep and they don't have the same clear need/role for him as they do with Broberg. Nor have they invested the draft capital or development years into him as Edmonton. If he doesn't hit the ground running and/or gets injured, he could find himself buried and on the outside looking in. Not dissimilar to Kostin in Detroit.

 

[57special]

The one thing I don't get about all of this is why didn't the Oilers try to trade one or both of these guys if they thought there would be any issues signing them or were vulnerable to an offer sheet. Surely they must have had some feeling about how willing the players were to be in EDM and what their contract demands likely would be. Is this a case of overconfidence that a deal would get done or a front office caught asleep at the wheel?

Sounds like the bolded. If Friedman's reporting is to be believed, not signing Holloway for 1.2M was a big mistake, in retrospect. I know his play has been underwhelming, but there was potential there, and 1.2 is 4th liner money.

Broberg...well, I have a bias against him as I thought that EDM should've picked Zegras or Boldy back in 2019, but 1.8 should've been somewhere they were ready to go. We'll see how he works out for STL... his play has hardly been genius so far.

 

[McJedi]

Question to Oiler fans - are you guys upset that Holloway and Broberg signed the offer sheets? Are you happy they went to "secure the bag" or is there some sort of loyalty you'd expect from them (even if meant taking less to play in Edm)?

Genuinely curious

I know I'm happy it shows both Drai & McDavid that many other Oilers (Nurse, Kane, Broberg, Holloway and soon.. Bouchard) will continue to seek maximum AAV. It sets up Bouchard to demand a contract with AAV above Nurse next summer.

Drai is already coming off such a discounted contract... he has zero incentive to take another discount. Play out his entire career under his value.

If the Oilers bring back Drai & Bouchard next year at their new AAVs ($14MM & $9.75MM are my guesses), it's going to demand the roster is gutted of any semblance of depth, even into the 2nd line. They'll be more top heavy than Toronto gazing down a McDavid raise following year. And Drai's agent knows this.

 

[McJedi]

Upset at the players - no, can’t blame them for maximizing their earnings.

Disappointed with the situation - certainly, but it’s our own management that got us into this jam.

When I saw Justin Barron get signed for 2yrs x 1.15, I thought that was a decent benchmark for offers for Broberg and Holloway. Man was I wrong.

As long as we walk out of this having matched Holloway, I’m fine with how it played out. I’d prefer to have Broberg, but not at that money. That 2nd will be good currency to look for a rental D at the deadline.

I do think St.Louis is crazy with what they offered Broberg. He looked good in the finals, but the sample sizes don’t get much smaller than that. Every other opportunity he got prior to that he looked pretty meh. But maybe everything clicked for him finally and it will prove to be a steal?

As they always say. Defenders develop slower than forwards, which is why drafting them carries more risk.

The best Broberg ever looked were his most recent games when the stakes were the highest and the opponents were top shelf teams. Interesting data point as you say.

 

[jackjohnson]

Don't know how good this will be for St. Louis, but this really hurts Edmonton. They're already an old team and Broberg and Holloway are youth that can grow with the team.

Edmonton is cooked now. Deharnais doesnt look so bad now

 

[ManofSteel55]

View attachment 901004

Friedman was pretty careful to posture this as a rumour, but if true, as an Oiler fan, it is incredibly disappointing, especially as those numbers are fairly in line with what fans expected too. I feel that they were maybe trying to nickel and dime these young players again, and if that is true, it is incredibly disappointing to see. It's one thing to expect veterans who have made 10 - 20 million+ in their career to take a team friendly deal to win, but compared to their teammates, Broberg and Holloway have made nothing in their careers so far. The Oilers consistent need to lowball their young players has bitten them in the arse, and whether that is Ken Holland, Jeff Jackson, or even Stan Bowman to blame, I don't think is overly relevant. It's a direction thing from the organization, and it has backfired, as we are now likely losing at least one good young player who could have been a part of the core of this team in the future.

That said, I wouldn't have blamed Broberg for not signing a deal with the Oilers until the last possible minute, in hopes that something like this came along. He had a good playoffs, and has been strung along quite unfairly by the team, so waiting makes sense for him. Holloway I just don't understand at all from a team perspective. He's looked good, albeit with some injury concerns, but 1.2M is a nothing contract for the team - they could still send his full cap hit to the AHL if he isn't working out, and it was reasonable enough that if he struggled, he was still tradeable at that hit too. Now, if we keep him, he's overpaid for what he's done so far, and we can't even trade him for immediate help elsewhere if we need to. Just frustrating player management all around from our management as an Oiler fan.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I know I'm happy it shows both Drai & McDavid that many other Oilers (Nurse, Kane, Broberg, Holloway and soon.. Bouchard) will continue to seek maximum AAV. It sets up Bouchard to demand a contract with AAV above Nurse next summer.

Drai is already coming off such a discounted contract... he has zero incentive to take another discount. Play out his entire career under his value.

If the Oilers bring back Drai & Bouchard next year at their new AAVs ($14MM & $9.75MM are my guesses), it's going to demand the roster is gutted of any semblance of depth, even into the 2nd line. They'll be more top heavy than Toronto gazing down a McDavid raise following year. And Drai's agent knows this.

That's the tough part for Oilers management right now. Even if you make this season work, it's the longer term implications that's harder to deal with.

 

[jackjohnson]

This literally makes zero sense.

If Edmonton trades Ceci & Kulak they can sign both Broberg & Holloway.

Not to mention Kane won't be all that difficult to trade if need be

Ceci would be hard to trade and trading 2 dman will leave a big hole. Who will replace them for cheap?