Will the Oilers match Broberg offer sheet after trading Ceci?
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The Edmonton Oilers lost a key piece of their blueline Sunday, trading Cody Ceci and a third-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenceman Ty Emberson.
The move, which came just hours after the Oilers added forward Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick, came as the dual offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues last week continue to hang over the team.
The Blues signed restricted free agents Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to two-year deals last Tuesday, leaving the Oilers seven days to match or receive compensation back for the players. The offer to Broberg is for a two-year contract at $4,580,917 per year, the maximum offer that would require a second-round draft pick as compensation. The offer to Holloway is for a two-year contract at $2,290,457 per year, the maximum offer that would require a third-round draft pick as compensation.
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, but leaves a hole to fill in ice time this season. Ceci, who is entering the last year of his deal, is coming off posting five goals and 25 points in 79 games last season. He added two goals and five points in 24 games during Edmonton's run to the Stanley Cup Final. The 30-year-old blueliner averaged 20:01 of ice time in the regular season and 19:21 in the postseason, which was the third-highest mark among defencemen.
Broberg was involved in trade rumours earlier this year after being demoted to the AHL, but returned to the Oilers roster to contribute in the playoffs. The 23-year-old blueliner had two assists in 12 games with Edmonton during the regular season 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.
Oilers can clear cap space to match both offer sheets
After moving Ceci the Oilers appear to be position to match both offer sheets and become cap compliant for the opening day of the season.
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.
Allowing Holloway to join the Blues could clear the picture slightly for the Oilers, as the team would then still have over a $1 million in LTIR space cleared by Kane.
Sunday's trades marked the first moves by new Oilers general manager Stan Bowman, who was hired on July 24. The offer sheets have sped up the RFA signing process for Bowman, who is also working on an extension for Leon Draisaitl as he inches toward unrestricted free agency next summer.