Armstrong: 'If there is a GM code not to do offer sheets, no one emailed it to me'

St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong defended his decision to execute dual offer sheets against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday after successfully acquiring defenceman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway.

The Oilers elected not to match the Blues offer sheets as the deadline passed, receiving a second-round pick back for Broberg and a third-rounder back for Holloway. Edmonton also acquired a 2028 third-round draft pick and unsigned 2023 fifth-round draft selection Paul Fischer from St. Louis in a separate transaction. 

The Blues paid up for both players as Broberg received a two-year offer from the Blues at $4,580,917 per season, while Dylan Holloway's offer was at $2,290,457 per year on a two-year term. Armstrong said he signed the deals because he believed the Blues could add the players, not in an attempt to put the Oilers into further salary cap trouble. 

"I’ve read what people are writing. If there is a GM code not to do offer sheets, no one emailed it to me," Armstrong said. "This is a tool that I think everyone uses and should use... So, there’s no code. I did talk to some people in the league. ... Offer sheets are there if you think you’re going to get the player.

"I don't believe in offer sheets to harm an organization. Meaning, put an offer sheet on because you know they’re going to match but it puts them in a bad spot. That for me at least, I wouldn't do that. I don’t see the purpose in that. I think the purpose of an offer sheet is, if you look at a franchise and you think you have opportunity to get a player, you do it and that’s the way we looked at this one."

Armstrong: 'I'd do it to my mother if she was managing the Oilers'

Armstrong also shut down a rumour that he would not have executed the offer sheets if his longtime friend Ken Holland was still general manager of the Oilers. Holland and the Oilers mutually parted ways just after the Stanley Cup Final, with CEO Jeff Jackson filling his role until Stan Bowman was hired as general manager last month.

"I think it was reported that I wouldn't have done this to Kenny Holland," Armstrong said. "That's the furthest thing from the truth. Quite honestly, I'd do it to my mother if she was managing the Oilers.

"My job is to take care of the St. Louis Blues fans and the St. Louis Blues organization. We saw an opportunity to do that."

It's possible that if the Blues hadn't moved on an offer sheet for Broberg, another team would have. Broberg's agent, Darren Ferris, told TSN's Ryan Rishaug that there were multiple teams prepared to give offer sheets to the defenceman. He added that the Oilers' offer to Broberg was for two years at a $1.1 million average annual value. 

The Blues had to pay an additional price in order to set up their offer sheet to Broberg, re-acquiring their 2025 second-round pick back from the Pittsburgh Penguins. St. Louis sent a 2026 second-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick (the Ottawa Senators' selection) to the Penguins to get their pick and a 2026 fifth-rounder back after trading the selection less than two months earlier to move Kevin Hayes in exchange for future considerations. 

The two now-former Oilers join a Blues roster that missed the playoffs for a second straight season last spring. St. Louis was largely quiet in the off-season before inking the offer sheets, adding veteran defenceman Ryan Suter among their few moves. 

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. 

Holloway, selected 14th overall by Edmonton in the 2020 draft, 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. 

Armstrong ready for future offer sheets targeting Blues

Should the Oilers look for vengeance, or another target the Blues with an offer sheet in the future after their blockbuster move against the Oilers, Armstrong said he's ready to deal with that. 

The general manager noted the Blues are still in a strong position cap-wise as Jake Neighbours headlines their players headed for restricted free agency in 2025.

"I know moving forward, I’ll speak for the St. Louis Blues, when we have good young free agents, we’re going to leave enough cap space there to sign those guys," Armstrong said. "It’s a double-edged sword for a player, also. You can hold out to get an offer sheet and if you get it, you’re the winner. You win if the team doesn’t have the space.

"But there also becomes the point for a manger and say, 'I’ve had enough of this, you're going to come back on a two- or three-year deal and that's exactly what I offer you or you can sit the year out.' That's fine too. Everyone has to play ball to get these deals done.

"I’m looking forward to working with our group to leaving enough space to sign our own players. If push comes to shove and it gets pushed, we’ll react and they’ll react. That’s the nature of business for all 32 teams to deal like that."