The NHL off-season is typically a lull in the hockey world, a time when fans eagerly await the start of training camps and the return of their favorite teams on the ice. But this year, August was anything but forgettable as the league was buzzing with activity.
The St. Louis Blues made waves on August 10th when they threw down offer sheets for restricted free agents Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, who were then members of the Edmonton Oilers. The contracts offered were not insignificant – Broberg was offered $4.58 million per year for two years, while Holloway was offered $2.29 million per year for the same duration.
To make the acquisition of Broberg possible, the Blues had to jump through some hoops. They first had to reclaim their 2025 second-round draft pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins, which they had traded away in June along with Kevin Hayes. In exchange for their pick, St. Louis sent a 2026 second-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick (originally belonging to the Ottawa Senators) to the Penguins, along with receiving a 2026 fifth-rounder in return.
After a week-long waiting period, the Oilers decided not to match the offer sheets, and Broberg and Holloway officially became Blues players. The cost for Broberg was the 2025 second-rounder, while the Blues gave up a 2025 third-round pick for Holloway.
General manager Doug Armstrong defended his bold move, stating that offer sheets are a legitimate tool in the NHL and shouldn’t be off-limits for any team. “I’ve read what people are writing. If there is a GM code not to do offer sheets, no one emailed it to me,” Armstrong said. “This is a tool that I think everyone uses and should use… So, there’s no code. I did talk to some people in the league. … Offer sheets are there if you think you’re going to get the player.”
Armstrong emphasized that he didn’t intend to harm other organizations with the offer sheets. “Meaning, put an offer sheet on because you know they’re going to match, but it puts them in a bad spot. That, for me at least, I wouldn’t do that. I don’t see the purpose in that. I think the purpose of an offer sheet is, if you look at a franchise and you think you have opportunity to get a player, you do it and that’s the way we looked at this one.”
Broberg, a 23-year-old defenseman, had a solid season with the Oilers, tallying two assists in 12 regular-season games and contributing two goals and an assist in 10 playoff games, including all seven games of the Stanley Cup Final. He was the eighth overall pick by Edmonton in the 2019 NHL draft.
The hockey world was abuzz with the unexpected flurry of activity in August, a month that is usually quiet in the NHL off-season. With the Blues making bold moves and shaking up the league, fans can only wait and see what other surprises are in store before the start of the new season.
