In the 24/7/365 world of NHL competitiveness, some teams are particularly desperate to make the Stanley Cup playoffs.
That desperation manifests in different ways – with one of them being the RFA offer sheet process.
Almost all RFAs are left alone by teams that could submit offer sheets for their services in theory. But every so often, some teams decide to send a ripple through the old boys’ club of the NHL GM community by tendering an offer sheet to players on clubs they believe are vulnerable because of their salary cap situation.
To that end, on Tuesday, the St. Louis Blues pulled off something unheard of – a double offer sheet to Edmonton Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg and winger Dylan Holloway.
Blues GM Doug Armstrong offered Broberg a two-year contract at $4,580,917 per season, while Holloway received a two-year offer at $2,290,457 per season. If the Oilers choose not to match the offers, the Blues will give up a second-round draft pick for Broberg and a third-rounder for Holloway.
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When you look at these moves through the prism of the Blues’ current place in their competitive cycle, you see a desperation of sorts.
St. Louis is trying to get back into the post-season after missing out on the playoffs for the last two seasons. Even with some slight tweaks to the roster this summer – moving veteran forward Kevin Hayes to Pittsburgh and acquiring forwards Radek Faksa from Dallas and Alexander Texier from Columbus – the Blues aren’t exactly the most threatening team in the Central Division.
Indeed, in the improving Central, the Blues are far from a lock to do better than they did last season. That’s why Armstrong stepped up and threw a wrench into Edmonton’s plans to hold onto Broberg and Holloway.
Armstrong saw that the Oilers are projected to be $354,167 over the salary cap ceiling and chose to force their hand with the offer sheets. It’s true teams can go 10 percent over the cap ceiling in the summer, and Edmonton may have more space if they place veteran Evander Kane on long-term injured reserve, but this is a shot across the bow that provides the Blues with two young players who can be part of their long-term future.
Neither Holloway nor Broberg is a superstar, but the Blues could offer them more opportunity than they’d get in Edmonton. If it only costs Armstrong two draft picks, it will be money well spent.
#stlblues offer sheet Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway of #Oilers; do you like the boldness of Doug Armstrong in doing this? Vote, discuss — https://t.co/uIqfeANj17
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) August 13, 2024
New Oilers GM Stan Bowman has his first major decision in front of him as well. The way he deals with it will help shape Edmonton’s roster for quite some time.
Armstrong may have made an enemy out of Bowman and the Oilers, but who’s kidding who – these guys are supposed to be trying to one-up each other. That’s the way the salary cap and the collective bargaining agreement work – the market is designed to redistribute talent every season.
These latest offer sheets have been used in a way we haven’t seen before, but strange things can and do happen in NHL boardrooms. Now, it’s on the Oilers to decide whether to take the Blues’ assets and move on from Holloway and Broberg or match the offers and deal with a new set of cap problems. Either way, it will be fascinating to see how this situation plays out.
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News Summary:
- Reaction: St. Louis Blues' Offer Sheets to Oilers Duo Show Desperation To Get Back Into Playoffs
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