In a shocking turn of events, the Edmonton Oilers have decided not to match the offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues on defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway, according to a report from TSN’s Ryan Rishaug.
As a result of this decision, the Oilers will receive a second-round pick for Broberg and a third-round pick for Holloway. Broberg’s offer from the Blues was a two-year deal worth $4,580,917 per season, while Holloway’s offer came in at $2,290,457 per year for two years.
This move allows the Oilers to replenish their draft picks after being left with only a sixth- and seventh-round selection in the 2025 draft following a couple of trades on Sunday. They traded away their third-round pick and defenseman Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Ty Emberson, and earlier in the day, they sent their 2025 fourth-rounder to the Vancouver Canucks for forward Vasily Podkolzin.
With Ceci and Broberg no longer part of the Oilers roster, Emberson is expected to take on a more significant role on the blue line this season. The 24-year-old defenseman had a solid rookie season, recording one goal and nine assists for 10 points in 30 games while averaging 18:32 of ice time. He comes with a cap hit of $950,000 for the upcoming season.
The addition of Podkolzin could be seen as an insurance policy for not matching on Holloway. The 23-year-old forward, drafted 10th overall in 2019, has yet to establish himself as a consistent NHL player, tallying just two assists in 19 games last season and 18 goals and 35 points in 137 career games with the Canucks.
Broberg and Holloway will now join a Blues team that missed the playoffs for the second straight year. St. Louis made minimal moves in the off-season before making the offer sheets, with one of their notable additions being veteran defenseman Ryan Suter.
To acquire the necessary picks to sign Broberg to the offer sheet, the Blues had to part ways with a 2025 second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for future considerations. This move had repercussions on their strategy, as they then had to trade a 2026 second-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick (from Ottawa Senators) back to the Penguins to retrieve their pick and a 2026 fifth-rounder.
Broberg, 23, had a limited but impactful tenure with the Oilers in the 2023-24 season, notching two assists in 12 regular-season games and adding two goals and an assist in 10 playoff games, including all seven in the Stanley Cup Final.
Holloway, the 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft, split time between the Oilers and the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors this past season, registering six goals and nine points in 38 NHL games. The 22-year-old shined in the postseason, contributing five goals and two assists in 25 games.
It will be interesting to see how Broberg and Holloway fit into the Blues’ plans moving forward after these bold moves. Stay tuned for more updates as the NHL season approaches.
