The Edmonton Oilers lost both Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to the St. Louis Blues because of offer sheets they tendered that they decided not to match. While both players were considered important parts of the Oilers’ future and showed signs of being potential stars during the 2023-24 campaign, the team didn’t see the value in overpaying them both and instead traded for replacements in Vasily Podkolzin and Ty Emberson. Regarding negotiations with the Oilers, Holloway spoke out about how weirdly they handled the situation.
“Said Holloway: “We knew about the offer sheet before we had any negotiations with Edmonton, which was kind of weird. We were trying to get a deal done. I don’t think we were asking for anything crazy at all. If anything we were very upfront with Edmonton the whole time, even about the whole offer sheet. We explained, ‘Hey, this was an option for us. Can we get a deal?’ And it was weird the way they handled it. I felt I had no other option but to sign the offer sheet.'”
source: “”It was weird the way they handled it”: Dylan Holloway criticizes Edmonton Oilers negotiating tactics.” – Edmonton Journal – David Staples – 09/01/2024
Holloway has now joined a much younger Blues roster that is in the middle of a rebuild, making it a good situation for both him and Broberg. Both of them had depth roles with the Oilers and had limited ice time in the postseason, but with the Blues, they could both be looked at as “go-to” players right away. Holloway likely starts the season on the second line while Broberg likely starts the season on the first pairing on the left side of the blue line.
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Either way, it is a bit odd that the Oilers seemingly turned down any chance at a reunion with Holloway, since he made it clear he wanted to remain an Oiler. While it makes some sense that they chose to save some money with Podkolzin, who makes $1 million less annually, Holloway was a great fit in the middle-six and could have been a breakout candidate heading into the 2024-25 campaign.
Oilers Saved Cap Space Letting Holloway Walk
The Oilers have had their issues defensively in recent campaigns which affected their ability to make a deep postseason run until last season. While they may still have some concerns about their blue line heading into this season, some fans have also raised some eyebrows at the lack of forward depth after losing Holloway, but they were able to save some cap space by moving on. While Podkolzin should be able to fill Holloway’s role to some degree, there is no guarantee the bottom six forwards will elevate their offensive production right away.
It’s fair to assume the Oilers will use some of their newfound cap space to upgrade their lineup as the season moves along, especially if they can accrue cap space during the season and make a splash at the 2025 Trade Deadline. The 2024 postseason was a strong showing from Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown, who dominated at both ends of the ice and solidified themselves as massive parts of their future success. With those two, as well as Adam Henrique returning on a team-friendly contract, the Oilers forward lineup is one of the strongest in the entire league.
There will be some growing pains as the season gets going, but there is no reason to panic. Last season, the Oilers started 2-9-1 and still made it to the Stanley Cup Final. If they have a tough start, as I expect them to consider all the changes they’ve made this offseason, there is no reason to worry. At the end of the day, the Oilers have a team that should be able to win their sixth Stanley Cup in franchise history, and their first since 1990.
