Oilers must make decision on Blues offer sheets by Tuesday morning
Published
The clock is ticking for the Edmonton Oilers to decide whether or not to match the dual offer sheets put forward by the St. Louis Blues.
The Oilers have until Tuesday morning to make their choices on Philip Broberg's two-year offer at $4,580,917 per season and Dylan Holloway's offer of $2,290,457 per year on a two-year term.
Edmonton would receive a second-round pick back for Broberg if the team elected not to match his deal and a third-round pick back for Holloway if the team allowed him to join the Blues.
The Oilers appeared to position themselves to match at least one of the offer sheets Sunday, trading Cody Ceci and a third-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenceman Ty Emberson.
Edmonton also acquired forward Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick earlier in the day.
TSN's Ryan Rishaug wrote Sunday that his gut feeling after the trades is the Oilers will match on Broberg, while the Holloway situation continues to feel up in the air.
Moving Ceci cleared $3.25 million from the Oilers books, and helped set a path for the Oilers to fit Broberg and Holloway under the salary cap. PuckPedia reports that the Oilers could fit both contracts under the salary cap if Evander Kane is placed on long-term injured reserve and one player carrying a cap hit of $801,000 or more is sent to the AHL.
Shelving Kane on LTIR, though, could be only a short-term solution for Edmonton. Rishaug reported last this week that he believes surgery is the most likely course of action for Kane, who is not likely to be ready for training camp and could be out several months. The Oilers would eventually need to clear cap space to reinstate him onto the roster should he recover before the end of the regular season.
Broberg, 23, had two assists in 12 games with Edmonton during the regular season in 2023-24 and posted two goals and an assist in 10 games during the postseason, playing in all seven games during the Stanley Cup Final. He averaged 15:47 of ice time in the playoffs.
It's unclear if the Oilers see more than a depth role for Emberson on their roster after Sunday's trade. The 24-year-old had one goal and nine assists for 10 points in 30 games last season, averaging 18:32 of ice time as a rookie. He is signed at a $950,000 cap hit this season.
Adding Podkolzin could serve as insurance in case the Oilers elect not to match on Holloway. Selected 10th overall in the 2019 draft, the 23-year-old has struggled to carve out a full-time role as an NHL player. He had two assists in 19 games last season and has 18 goals and 35 points over 137 career games, all with the Canucks.
Holloway also split time between the Oilers and AHL's Bakersfield Condors this past season, posting six goals and nine points in 38 games with the NHL club. The 22-year-old forward appeared in all 25 games during the postseason, posting five goals and two assists. He was selected 14th overall by Edmonton in the 2020 draft.
Should the Oilers match both offer sheets, the Blues will have paid a price for the move after having to re-acquire their own draft pick to sign Broberg. The Blues received their own 2025 second-rounder (acquired by Pittsburgh in the Kevin Hayes trade) and a 2026 fifth-rounder from the Penguins, sending a 2026 second-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick (the Ottawa Senators' selection) back to be able to sign the offer sheets.