Edmonton Oilers GM Shares Motivation Behind Not Matching Blues' Offer Sheets

Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman said salary cap implications factored into why the team decided not to match offer sheets for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway.

In a media call on Tuesday, Bowman said while they like both players, the contracts didn't fit into their financial puzzle, even after freeing cap space by trading Cody Ceci on Sunday.

"We really took our time analyzing and evaluating the different options," Bowman said. "I had a number of phone calls over the last week with most teams in the league trying to see what they were trying to do with their roster if they were trying to move any players out or if they were trying to add in players to the mix. So we exhausted all opportunities and at the end of the day we ended up where we are today, which is we did not match either offer sheet."

Bowman added that the business decisions didn't involve any concerns about Broberg and Holloway but simply how it affected the short- and long-term plans.

While trading defenseman Cody Ceci days before the decision felt like a move to free up space to match the offers, it appears the Oilers weren't ever going to meet the Blues on significant salary jumps for Broberg and Holloway.

Valuing future cap space and flexibility over keeping two young prospects, Bowman said he felt good about how the team was able to navigate a difficult situation, coming away with some draft picks and a young player who could compete for NHL jobs this season in recently acquired Vasily Podkolzin and Ty Emberson.

Bowman was asked if he felt he couldn't allow the two players to control the team cap with their vastly higher contracts. The GM stopped short of saying that, but he did admit those salaries didn't necessarily align with the type of roster the club was trying to build, or what it might mean for future negotiations with other players.

Now that Edmonton's blueline has now lost Ceci and Broberg, Bowman said nothing is off the table in terms of adding players. He wants to give the players he brought in an opportunity to show what they can do but hinted he'll look at all options and suggested he might make a move as the Oilers get into the stretch run of the season.

When it came to Evander Kane and his injury status, Bowman said he was not part of any discussions, nor will he be, involving Kane's ultimate decision on surgery or rehab. The Oilers want to prioritize getting the winger healthy and will deal with long-term injured reserve or other options when they present themselves.

As it stands now, the Oilers have added defenseman Emberson, forward Podkolzin and defense prospect Paul Fischer.

Emberson knows Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch well, which factored into the Ceci trade. Podkolzin's fresh start could get his development back on track, and Fischer is someone Bowman watched a lot in Chicago. Bowman said all will have a shot to make the team, and the Oilers will continue to look around the market for trades and free agency opportunities.

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