The Edmonton Oilers are dealing with a massive issue currently, as they have to try and find a way to match two offer sheets that the St. Louis Blues gave to their emerging stars. Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg were both sitting in free agency as restricted free agents (RFAs) awaiting new deals from the Oilers when the Blues swooped in and made life much harder for the Oilers. Broberg was given a two-year deal worth $4.8 million per season while Holloway was given a $2.4 million deal for the same length. After a full summer of speculation that both players could sign with the Oilers for under $2 million annually, it seems as though that wasn’t the case after all.
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Reports have been varying over what the Oilers plan is to help match the offer sheets, but there likely won’t be any clarity for another few days. From the day the offer sheets were signed, the Oilers had exactly seven days to match the offer sheets. While placing Evander Kane on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) could help the Oilers match one of the two offer sheets, they would still need to make a trade if they wanted to keep both around. However, a recent report suggests the Oilers may want to accept the second-round pick as compensation for Broberg and look elsewhere for a new defenceman.
Broberg Reportedly Requested Trade in Dec. 2023
During the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman was discussing the future of Broberg in Edmonton, recalling a rumoured trade request from December of 2023 where Broberg was reportedly permitted to speak with other teams. Friedman stated that Broberg’s opinion likely never altered from that trade request and things were never the same between the two sides. Unfortunately for the Oilers, it seems as though they will now have to lose Broberg to a Western Conference rival and look for a replacement elsewhere.
Based on the salary offered by the Blues on their offer sheet, the Oilers would receive a second-round draft pick as compensation. With that pick and some free cap space, if Kane hits LTIR, they could almost certainly find a replacement on their blue line for the 2024-25 campaign. While it would hurt to lose a defender like Broberg who is young and hasn’t quite reached his potential yet, especially to a conference rival, there could be some other tricks up the Oilers’ sleeves to bolster their blue line and keep their top-four defensive group in the elite category.
It seems as though Broberg took full advantage of what could be a larger opportunity for him with the Blues. The Blues’ defensive lineup isn’t great by any means, giving Broberg a chance to crack their top four right out of training camp. With the Oilers, Broberg likely would have been their bottom-pairing defender with a slim chance of moving up. While he played well with Darnell Nurse in the playoffs last season, that isn’t enough to justify having him play full-time second-pairing minutes on a Stanley Cup-contending team.
It seems inevitable that the Oilers are going to lose Broberg, leaving a hole in their defensive core. He is a former first-round pick who had plenty of upside, but the fit was just never right. While all signs point to Broberg getting a bigger opportunity elsewhere, the $4.8 million price tag is a bit steep for someone who wouldn’t play a huge role over the next couple of seasons. For the first time since Jesperi Kotkaniemi joined the Carolina Hurricanes, it seems as though a successful offer sheet has happened, and it may throw a wrench in what was almost a perfect offseason for the Oilers.
