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Broberg and Holloway Offer Sheeted By Blues |
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The summer just got a whole lot more interesting and difficult for the Edmonton Oilers. The St Louis Blues have tendered offer sheets to both Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. Here are the breakdown for each player:
Philip Broberg: 2 years x $4,580,917
Dylan Holloway: 2 years x $2,290,457
If the Oilers do not match Broberg, they get a second round pick in return. If they don't match Dylan Holloway they get a third round pick in return. Not great value for two first round picks that were supposed to be full time NHLers for Edmonton this season.
As I wrote yesterday, the Oilers will likely be putting Evander Kane on LTIR to start the season. That helps their cap situation but only once the season starts. I fully believe that Edmonton expected to be able to sign Broberg and Holloway for a combined 2.4 million. The players haven't proven much yet in terms of production and they don't have arbitration rights. Management pushed them and the offer sheet is the player's opportunity to push back. I don't fault Broberg or Holloway for a second for signing the Blues offer sheets. It is well within their rights.
We almost never seen offer sheets in the NHL, let alone a double offer sheet by a team. We have heard time and time again about how GM's don't like to use them because of the "brotherhood of GMs." There has for the most part been an unwritten rule that GMs don't want to undermine other GMs or do anything to attack them. I wonder what is different about the Oilers GM as opposed to other GMs around the NHL...
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A reminder that this was a foreseeable outcome from the tenure of Ken Holland. Overpaying Darnell Nurse by at least 2 million, signing an unproven starter Campbell to a ridiculous 5 year deal with an AAV of 5 million which was rightly bought out by Jeff Jackson, still dealing with the James Neal buyout, the extra year on the Cody Ceci contract... all of these led to a situation where the Oilers were pushed right to the edge of the cap and a vulnerable position that a team like St. Louis could take advantage of.
Now the Edmonton Oilers have 7 days to decide if they are matching. Holloway is the easier player to fit in the cap but may not be as vital as the team expects Broberg to be. Everything I have seen telegraphed from the coaching staff and management suggests the Oilers believe Broberg is a top 4 defenseman this season.
Holloway has proven more right now but is the third line left winger on the Oilers depth chart right now behind RNH and Jeff Skinner. There is also the chance that newly acquired Matt Savoie could be NHL ready and fit in on that third line.
That being said, paying Broberg 4.58 million a year for the next two seasons when we cannot say with absolute certainty that he is ready is a massive risk, especially with the Draisaitl and McDavid contracts needing to be solved soon.
It will be a very interesting seven days for the Edmonton Oilers on how they will try and solve a problem of their own making.
Thanks for reading.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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