It is rare to see, but the St. Louis Blues executed the offer sheet perfectly on Tuesday morning, August 13th. St. Louis announced they had offer-sheeted Edmonton Oilers restricted free agents forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg.
We have tendered offer sheets to Edmonton’s Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. #stlblues
DETAILS ➡️ https://t.co/HgShyE72bU https://t.co/HgShyE72bU
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) August 13, 2024
St. Louis Blues Offer Sheet Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg
Per the release, the Blues announced that they offered Broberg a two-year contract at $4,580,917 per year, the maximum offer that would require a second-round draft pick as compensation. The offer to Holloway is for a two-year contract at $2,290,457 per year, the maximum offer that would require a third-round draft pick as compensation.
Before offering these to players from Edmonton, the Blues and Penguins made a trade for draft picks. The Blues acquired a 2026 second-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick as part of the deal, the maximum compensation for these offer sheets for Holloway and Broberg.
The Penguins have acquired a 2026 second-round draft pick and a 2025 third-round draft pick.
Details: https://t.co/kQWQcUu0pE pic.twitter.com/jayjF6tKk3
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 13, 2024
Many around the NHL are praising this move. Hockey is a business, after all. We hear Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon say he is in the winning business, not the hockey business. So Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong decided to play his cards right. He is taking advantage of an Edmonton Oilers team over the salary cap.
Oilers Up Against the Salary Cap, Blues Take Advantage
According to PuckPedia.com, the Oilers are already $7,225,541 over the salary cap. There is work to do for new general manager Stan Bowman in Edmonton. Recall the Oilers bought out the remaining three years of Jack Campbell’s contract. Not to mention all the moves they made this off-season to keep them in contention for another Stanley Cup run. However, there is not enough money to go around.
If you think NHL teams don’t notice what happens in the offseason, think again. This was a calculated move by Armstrong and the St. Louis Blues. The Blues want to be a better defensive team, so adding Broberg makes sense. Holloway is a throw to make the Oilers choose one or the other. Both players were tremendous during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024. Edmonton has seven days to match or decline the offer sheets presented by the Blues.
The Oilers can match both players, but it will not be easy. There is uncertainty surrounding the health of forward Evander Kane. Kane has been dealing with several injuries that hampered him in the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. The most likely course of action is surgery, which would put him on long-term injured reserve (LTIR).
However, Kane’s $5.1 million will open up enough money to sign one player and not both. Though they could still do it, it would buy them a little time before the start of the season to move out a player. A player like Cody Ceci who makes $3.25 million could help when Kane does go on LTIR.
It Has Been A Long Time Since An Offer Sheet
This is a genius move from the St. Louis Blues point of view. Again, it is rare to see an offer sheet. The last one we saw was in 2021 when Carolina gave up a first and a third to Montreal as compensation for Jesperi Kotkaniemi. That was payback from the Hurricanes for the Canadiens’ offer sheeting Sebastian Aho in 2019.
Since 2007, only two of nine offer sheets have not been matched Dustin Penner to Edmonton for a first, second, and 3rd and Kotkaniemi. The other seven offer sheets were matched Thomas Vanek in 2007, David Backes in 2008, Steve Bernier in 2008, Niklas Hjalmarsson in 2010), Shea Weber in 2012), Ryan O’Reilly in 2013, and Aho in 2019.
Using an offer sheet is a tool a GM has in their toolbox. It is rare to see, but it hampers a team when used effectively. As we see with the St. Louis Blues offer sheets to Holloway and Broberg.
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