What Comes Next as St. Louis Blues Tender Offer Sheets to Two Oilers Youngsters?
The St. Louis Blues tendered offer sheets to Edmonton Oilers players Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, but it doesn't mean their time in Edmonton is over yet.
The St. Louis Blues added some intrigue to August in the NHL by tendering offer sheets to two Edmonton Oilers RFAs.
Blues GM-president of hockey operations Doug Armstrong announced they've offered two-year contracts to Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway.
Broberg's offered cap hit is $4,580,917 per year, while Holloway's is $2,290,457.
Both cap hits are the maximum offers requiring a second-round draft pick and a third-round draft pick as compensation, respectively.
Holloway, 22, has played more NHL games of the two, with 89 in two seasons compared to Broberg's 81 games across three seasons. Holloway has nine goals and nine assists for 18 points in that span, including six goals and nine points in 38 games last season. He also had 10 goals and 16 points in 18 games for AHL Bakersfield and seven points in 25 games for Edmonton in its run to the Stanley Cup final.
Broberg, meanwhile, played 12 games for the Oilers and 49 for Bakersfield last season, getting two points in the NHL and 38 in the AHL. The 23-year-old has two goals and 11 assists for 13 career NHL points. Broberg got into game action for Edmonton in the Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars and played all seven games of the Cup final against the Florida Panthers, recording two goals and an assist in 10 games.
What Comes Next for the Blues and Oilers?
Although Broberg and Holloway accepted their offers, that doesn't mean they automatically joined the Blues.
The Oilers have seven days to decide whether to match either or both offer sheets, known as exercising their "right of first refusal" in section 10.3 of the NHL and NHLPA's collective bargaining agreement. They cannot trade either player during this time and assign that right of first refusal to another team.
Matching an offer sheet would mean the Oilers agree to the contract offered by the Blues and choose to re-sign their RFA. The Blues will then move on without that player.
The CBA also notes that if the Oilers match an offer sheet, they cannot trade that player for one year from the date they exercise their right of first refusal. So if they keep either or both Broberg and Holloway, they'll have to wait until mid-August 2025 if they want to use either player as a trade asset.
In December 2023, reports surfaced that Broberg's camp was unsatisfied with the Oilers and sought a move. If Edmonton matches the offer, he'll have to wait for a change of scenery if he's still considering a change of scenery.
But if the Oilers decide not to match one or both Holloway and Broberg, they'll become members of the Blues. As such, the Blues must compensate Edmonton based on the average annual value – the second-rounder in 2025 for Broberg and third-rounder in 2025 for Holloway.
Earlier Tuesday, the Blues trade their 2026 second-round draft pick and the Ottawa Senators' third-round pick in 2025 to the Pittsburgh Penguins to get their 2025 second-rounder back and Pittsburgh's 2026 fifth-rounder. The Blues originally moved their 2025 second-round pick to Pittsburgh in the Kevin Hayes trade back in June. That allowed them to tender the offer sheet to Broberg – they cannot use a pick originally belonging to another team to use as compensation.
For more reaction to the offer sheets, visit The Hockey News' Blues site. And for depth charts for the Oilers and Blues, visit The Hockey News' Lineups site.
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