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In a shocking turn of events, the St. Louis Blues have thrown down the gauntlet by tendering the first two offer sheets the NHL has seen in years. On Tuesday, the Blues made bold moves by extending offers to forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg of the Edmonton Oilers, presenting both players with lucrative two-year contracts. The offer to Holloway stands at an impressive $2.29 million per year, while Broberg’s offer sits even higher at $4.58 million annually.
The timing of these offers couldn’t be more strategic, as both Holloway and Broberg are fresh off their entry-level contracts and the Oilers find themselves in a precarious situation. With the team currently over the salary cap by $357,167 and saddled with more than $3 million in dead money, the pressure is on for Edmonton to make some tough decisions.
Holloway, at 22 years old, had a decent showing last season with six goals and nine points in 38 games for the Oilers. His performance in the postseason was particularly noteworthy, as he notched five goals and two assists in 25 playoff games, helping Edmonton advance all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
On the other hand, Broberg, 23, spent the majority of the 2023-24 season in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors, where he tallied an impressive 38 points in 49 games. Despite his success in the minors, he managed to make an impact in the NHL playoffs by registering two goals and an assist in 10 games for the Oilers.
The clock is now ticking for the Oilers, who have a narrow seven-day window to decide whether to match the Blues’ offer sheets. The stakes are high, as history has shown that offer sheets can sometimes lead to unexpected outcomes.
Dating back to 2006, the NHL has witnessed only a handful of offer sheets, with most being promptly matched. However, there have been a few instances where teams opted to roll the dice and let the player walk. In 2007, the Oilers famously bid farewell to a trio of draft picks in exchange for Dustin Penner, who went on to have a successful tenure in Edmonton before retiring in 2014.
More recently, in 2021, the Montreal Canadiens opted not to match an offer sheet from the Carolina Hurricanes for Jesperi Kotkaniemi, ultimately parting ways with the young forward and accepting the compensation picks. Kotkaniemi, now a key player for the Hurricanes, has flourished since signing a lucrative contract extension with the team.
As the NHL awaits the Oilers’ decision on whether to match the Blues’ offer sheets, the league is abuzz with anticipation and speculation. Will Edmonton rise to the challenge and secure the services of Holloway and Broberg, or will St. Louis’s bold gambit pay off in the end? Only time will tell. Stay tuned for more updates as this high-stakes drama unfolds on the ice.