St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas was with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl when the big offer sheets were announced. After that, the stories differ.

LAS VEGAS — Talk about awkward.

Robert Thomas was eating lunch with three members of the Oilers when news broke the St. Louis Blues signed offer sheets to Edmonton’s Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg.

Depending on who you talk to, the reaction was either hilarious or heated.

“It was pretty funny,” the Blues center said on Tuesday during this week’s NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Las Vegas. “I was with (Connor) McDavid, (Leon) Draisaitl and (Zach) Hyman. We were having lunch after training. I was sitting there eating, and I guess it popped up on one of their phones.”

Well, not everyone apparently found the news as amusing as Thomas did.

“Yeah, they weren’t too happy about it,” Thomas said with a wry smile. 

On Wednesday, the Oilers attending media day set the record straight on the humorous encounter.

“I think we’re all professional enough to understand,” said Draisaitl, who added Thomas’ account of how the news played out may not have been completely accurate. “Connor and I weren’t sitting there, pouting like little babies. Let’s be real, here.”

Added McDavid: “He said we were angry or something like that? It was more surprise.”

Offer sheets might not be as taboo as when former Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke challenged then Oilers GM Kevin Lowe to a barnyard fight after losing Dustin Penner in 2008. But they are still considered controversial — the NHL equivalent to asking out someone who is wearing a wedding ring.

When asked about his decision to break the so-called “gentleman’s agreement,” Blues GM Doug Armstrong told reporters that “if there is a GM code not to do offer sheets, no one emailed it to me” and that he would “do it to my mother if she was managing the Oilers.”

Thomas agreed.

“I think we all had a good laugh over that quote,” he said. “It was a pretty aggressive move. I would love to see more of it. They don’t happen too often, and I know they’re kind of frowned upon, maybe. But we were really excited, especially watching those guys in the playoffs and in the final. 

“They’re great young players. They’re ready to take on bigger roles, and I’m really excited to see what they can do.”

Holloway, who was the 14th-overall pick in 2020, signed a two-year contract with the Blues for $4.58 million total. Broberg, the eighth-overall pick in 2019, signed a two-year contract worth $9.16 million total. 

Considering they combined for 50 games this season, it seemed like an overpay. But for a team like the Blues, which is amid a retool, it’s also a gamble on the future.

For the Oilers, it’s a major blow.

“If you had asked me on Aug. 1, I would have said we had a great off-season,” said McDavid. “But here we are on Sept. 11, and we had to lose some guys along the way. And that’s unfortunate. But that’s the cap system. Good teams have good players, and it’s tough to keep them all together. Ultimately, you lose guys to the system, and that sucks.”

Holloway and Broberg were not just first-round picks with a bright future ahead of them. They were also affordable options for a cap-strapped team that needs all the savings they can get. Losing both of them hurts, especially since replacing them on the roster will be costly.

“Two, young kids that would have been the future of our team. And two, talented young kids,” said Draisaitl. “Of course, you want to keep guys like that. But at the end of the day, that’s in the rulebook and we decided not to match it and you move on. You wish them all the best. Two, great kids. Really good guys. We wish them all the luck. Just not against us.”

Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.