The Edmonton Oilers recently lost two young players, Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, to offer sheets tendered by the St. Louis Blues. While the Oilers went out and acquired Vasily Podkolzin and Ty Emberson in hopes of replacing them, many fans began to question how the Oilers were going to be able to run it back and try to make another deep playoff run with such a drastic change to their lineup. While the right side of the defensive lineup doesn’t look as strong as it possibly could, a diamond-in-the-rough pickup in Emberson will strengthen the top-four defenders. While bringing back Broberg could have helped create defensive depth beneath the top four, he is someone the team now has to move on without and try to bolster their roster in another way. One question many fans did have right away was whether or not the offer sheets would have been tendered if Ken Holland was still the Oilers’ general manager (GM) rather than Stan Bowman.
Related: Reacting to Oilers’ Ceci-for-Emberson Trade
Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong spoke out about the offer sheets after he was questioned about the “unspoken code” between teams that involved not offer sheeting restricted free agents (RFAs) and he shut down the idea of him only offering the contracts because Holland is no longer GM. Armstrong was adamant that he made these offers with the sole purpose of improving the Blues as he looked to help build a future playoff team. Holloway and Broberg are future assets who are bound for breakouts soon and could be players the Blues choose to build around as they head out of their rebuild and into contention.
Blues Will Miss Playoffs, But Future Looks Bright
Holloway is penciled into the Blues’ top-six forward group, while Broberg could start the season in the top-four defensive group. Holloway and Broberg will both likely have increased roles with the Blues for the 2024-25 season as well as a pay raise they wouldn’t have received with the Oilers. However, it’s unlikely they will play in the postseason whereas the Oilers are likely heading back there. despite their strong additions, the Blues don’t have what it takes to sneak into a playoff spot just yet. Armstrong is building a strong team and the players he has brought in seem to be committed to helping the Blues win, however, they aren’t going to be contenders this season.
With Holloway and Broberg joining a young team, the future looks bright in St. Louis. With Jake Neighbours, Alexey Toropchenko, and Dalibor Dvorksy also being key pieces to the Blues’ future, fans should be excited for what’s to come. Holloway is a personal favourite of mine, and he has been since he was drafted by the Oilers, but he is not yet ready to take on an increased offensive role where he is expected to produce 20-goal seasons. He has the potential to do it, but isn’t there yet.
The Blues are going to try their best to prove everyone wrong, including myself, and make the playoffs. Fans of the Oilers and Blues will continue to argue for a while as the offer sheet situation lingers and laves a sour taste in Oilers fans’ mouths. Fortunately, both Broberg and Holloway get a pay raise that they wouldn’t have gotten with the Oilers, increased responsibilities, and got to play in front of a dedicated fan base that loves their team. It’s comforting for both players that Armstrong made it clear they weren’t offered contracts for a petty reason, but rather because the Blues are genuinely interested in developing them and having them as part of their future.
