The Edmonton Oilers have decided not to match the St. Louis Blues’ offer sheets for forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg, as announced by the teams on Tuesday.
The Blues signed Holloway to a two-year deal valued at $2.29 million annually and Broberg to a two-year contract with a $4.58-million cap hit last Tuesday. The Oilers had a seven-day window to match these offers.
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman explained, “It’s really not reflective of the players at all.” He further clarified, “I want to be clear on that. … This came down to a business decision relative to our short-term as well as long-term viability for our roster with the salary cap,” as reported by TSN.
As a result of not matching the offers, Edmonton will receive a second-round pick and a third-round pick in 2025 as compensation for Broberg and Holloway, respectively.
In addition to this, the Oilers acquired winger Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks and traded defenseman Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Ty Emberson, ahead of Tuesday’s 9:30 a.m. ET deadline.
Edmonton is believed to have offered Broberg a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.1 million and a three-year deal for Holloway with an approximate cap hit of $1.05 million, according to Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland.
Broberg, selected by the Oilers with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, played 12 regular-season games in 2023-24, recording two assists and averaging 11:37 minutes of ice time per game. He also participated in 10 playoff games during the Oilers’ Stanley Cup Final run, scoring two goals and accumulating three points while averaging just under 16 minutes per game.
Broberg, 23, had a career-high 46 games played in 2022-23 and has 13 points in 81 games across three seasons. The Oilers reportedly allowed him to seek a trade in December after he often watched from the press box as a healthy scratch.
Holloway, selected 14th overall by Edmonton in the 2020 NHL Draft, recorded six goals and nine points in 38 regular-season games this past season. He appeared in all 25 of the Oilers’ playoff games, scoring five goals and collecting seven points.
The 22-year-old made his NHL debut during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and played 51 games in the following season, contributing three goals and nine points. Both Broberg and Holloway also spent time with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors in 2023-24, with Broberg recording 38 points (five goals, 33 assists) in 49 games and Holloway accumulating 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in 18 games.
Additionally, the Blues traded a 2028 third-round pick and the rights to defenseman Paul Fischer to Edmonton for future considerations on Tuesday. Fischer, selected by St. Louis in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, spent last season at the University of Notre Dame.
The Oilers currently have just under $950,000 in cap space, according to PuckPedia, with forward Evander Kane potentially starting the season on long-term injured reserve due to his $5.125-million cap hit. The Blues have slightly over $465,000 in cap space.
