Why the Broberg and Holloway Offer Sheets Might Speed up Detroit's RFA Process
The St. Louis Blues made a splash by offer sheeting Edmonton RFAs Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. Might this force the Detroit Red Wings to speed up their own negotiations?
When it comes to restricted free agent offer sheets, they're a lot like a comet. They come around every few years with a whole lot of pomp and circumstance. Just common enough to know they exist, but just rare enough for them to carry some mystique. Each one appears to be the start of a new era of offer sheet utilization, then that quickly fades back to the old status quo.
The St. Louis Blues might have changed that this morning. Signing offer sheets with Edmonton Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway, the Blues are picking on a cash-strapped Oilers team to snag a high-potential player. Considering Edmonton is already $7.23 million over the cap ceiling before LTIR considerations, it would be exceedingly difficult for the Oilers to keep both Broberg and Holloway at a combined $6.87 million. The Blues' strategy is novel in the way it forces Edmonton to really problem solve to get not one but two players' offer sheets matched, essentially forcing Edmonton to pick its poison and lose a player.
Will this finally bring offer sheets into GMs' everyday tool belts? It's too early to tell. But if this is the move that finally makes offer sheets mainstream, this could have major impacts on how the Detroit Red Wings approach RFAs. It might just make the usually-patient Steve Yzerman pick up his pace at the negotiating table.
As a general manager, Yzerman has always proceeded with patience. When other GMs jump, he calculates. When others give their star players extensions well ahead of the offseason, he sweats out his stars to get the best possible deal. He did it with Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay and Dylan Larkin in Detroit, even when they could've become UFAs. He's doing it with Seider and Raymond, stars who still don't have extensions deep into August. With nothing forcing Yzerman and other GMs to move quickly, they can take their sweet time.
If teams are willing to sign offer sheets and give up draft picks, then Yzerman will have no choice but to speed up his process to avoid tempting other teams to offer sheet his players. Especially when a number of prospects should mature into NHL-level players these next few seasons, he'll have to mind how he approaches the RFA contracts.
For a long time, RFA rights have served as a quasi-contract in the way teams view free agents. This empowers Yzerman's patience. Take a look at Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren this offseason. For players of Raymond and Seider's caliber, the compensation another team would have to give up in return for them is not cheap. It's hard to fathom any offer sheets for those two not landing above $6.8 million, it's harder to imagine a team wants to give up their own first, second and third round pick to do that. And don't even think that Detroit wouldn't match the offers, either. So, nothing forces Yzerman to move quicker on extensions. He can sweat everyone out deep into the summer.
So what exactly is changing with the Blues' splash? In a world of offer sheets, compensation costs probably prevent a real blockbuster from affecting negotiations like Seider's and Raymond's. But what about players who don't demand such big contracts? What about the Joe Velenos and Jonatan Berggrens of the future, the players of varying talents who don't demand huge contracts and who other teams might be willing to give a shot? It's a whole new ball game.
Yzerman's approach thus far has been to wait them out just like anyone else. Veleno didn't sign a contract extension until July 20. Berggren still doesn't have a contract, which probably has something to do with a desire to get Seider and Raymond done first.
Yzerman can afford that patience because nothing is forcing him to pick up the pace when no one is trying to sign less established players to offer sheets. Look at Berggren. He expressed Monday to Swedish outlet Hockey News that he understands the tough negotiations he is going through, and he hasn't opened them up with anyone else.
"You never want to say for certain, but I've only talked to Detroit and they have my rights," Berggren said. "I've had talks with them and the coach and everyone. The feeling is positive,"
Could that change in the future? Next season, forward Elmer Soderblom and defenseman Albert Johansson are part of Detroit's RFA contingent. In 2026, the group includes defenseman Simon Edvinsson, forward Carter Mazur, goaltender Sebastian Cossa and Veleno. Any of those players could be interesting pieces for other teams to chase. Unless they break out into star players (quite possible, particularly for Edvinsson), these more middle-of-the-pack players might entice teams to overpay in a way that either damages Detroit's cap health or costs it a budding prospect.
If Yzerman wants to avoid that, he'd have to hustle. The best way to avoid an offer sheet conundrum is to sign a player to an extension in the first place. Patience, then, becomes a far too expensive virtue.
Don't expect Yzerman to hasten his negotiations any time soon. We could've had this same debate in 2021 when the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens beefed over offer sheets. Nothing really changed until the Blues shook things up this morning. Yzerman is still taking things slow, just as Berggren, Seider and Raymond are well aware.
But if something really does change — if teams scrap honor among thieves and start hitting the RFA market for upgrades — then Yzerman might have no choice but to pick up the pace. Until then, it's a typical case of wait-and-see.
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