Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway became eligible for contract extensions this off-season, but have entered their second season with the St. Louis Blues without a contract extension in place, which raises the question of when and what their deals will look like.
The former Edmonton Oilers duo will remain RFAs when their contract expires, which gives the Blues team control, but the longer they go without a contract, the higher their price tag goes.
Holloway and Broberg had breakout campaigns in their first season with the Blues. Holloway notched 26 goals and 63 points in 77 games, suffering an injury just before the playoffs. Broberg really came into his own, scoring eight goals and 29 points in 68 games, becoming a trusted two-way defender.
They each signed offer sheets with the Blues last season, with Broberg's carrying a $4,580,917 average annual value and Holloway's carrying a $2,290,457 AAV. After just one season with the organization, the pair have become important parts of the Blues' present and future.
Broberg will be 25 at the end of this season, and the Blues would be very inclined to sign him to a max-term deal of seven years. Recently, Jackson LaCombe and Luke Hughes signed deals worth $9 million, and although Broberg isn't discussed in conversations with LaCombe and Hughes, it wouldn't be too shocking to see him within $2 million of their deals.
Detroit Red Wings' Moritz Seider is in year two of a seven-year deal that carries an $8.55 million AAV, another contract that Broberg would like to compare himself to. But ultimately, it may come down to what Thomas Harley is looking for. Harley and Broberg are 2001-born defenseman with expiring contracts, playing in similar roles. They could look at someone like Bowen Byram, who signed a two-year $6.25-million contract as a comparable, but they are likely looking for long-term deals.
Broberg could find his next deal ranging between $7-8.5 million.
Holloway, on the other hand, is a more difficult case.
His production can be compared to that of other 2001-born forwards like Matt Boldy, Cole Caufield, Connor McMichael and Marco Rossi.
Boldy and Caufield have been producing at the rate Holloway scored at last year for a few more seasons, and they are signed to contracts carrying AAVs of $7 million and $7.85 million. McMichael and Rossi had their breakout campaigns in the 2024-25 season, and Rossi's season earned him a bridge deal carrying a $5 million AAV.
McMichael is in the final year of a two-year, $2.1-million contract. He recorded 26 goals and 57 points in 82 games last year and, like Holloway, is due for a massive pay raise.
Whether the Blues wait to see what Broberg and Holloway have in store this season or wait until their comparables sign contracts is unknown, but they could benefit from signing them sooner, rather than later.
Young Rising Blues Forward: "I Want To Be A Top Player In This League One Day"
MARYLAND
HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Don’t
mistake Dylan Holloway the wrong way. The <a href="http://thn.com/stlouis">St. Louis Blues</a> forward is
beyond grateful to be healthy and skating 100 percent for the first
time since what turned out to be an ugly injury that derailed a
fantastic first season in the Gateway City.