Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy is one of my favourite comedy movies. It has some very memorable scenes and lines.

The brawl scene is one of my favourites. There are so many hilarious moments and one-liners.

Burgandy’s line after the brawl is one of the most repeated lines/memes from the movie and fits with how the Oilers’ August went.

“Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast!” 

I left for holidays on Friday, August 11th. Two weeks later, the Edmonton Oilers’ roster is very different.

Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway are now in St. Louis after signing offer sheets of $4.58M AAV and $2.29M respectively. Cody Ceci ($3.25M) was traded along with a 2025 third round pick to San Jose for Ty Emberson ($950K) and the Oilers acquired LW Vasily Podkolsin ($1M) from Vancouver for a 2025 fourth rounder.

It was an eventful August for the Oilers and their fans. Here are my thoughts on those moves and what lies ahead for the Oilers.

1. Not matching Broberg was an easy decision for Edmonton. They didn’t have the cap space to sign him, and left defence is one of their biggest strengths at the moment. In a few years it might not be as Mattias Ekholm and Brett Kulak get older, but for the next two seasons it looks very solid. It will be fascinating to see how Broberg develops in St. Louis. The Blues’ PP has struggled the past two seasons. In 2023 it ranked 22nd at 19.3% and last year was 24th at 18%. With Torey Krug unlikely to play this year, Broberg will get a huge opportunity on the man advantage. That wasn’t happening for him in Edmonton with Evan Bouchard on the top unit, so Broberg could put up more points than he would have had he remained in Edmonton.

2. Broberg asked for a trade earlier this season and that is why anyone trying to blame Ken Holland for not signing him in January or February makes little sense to me. Why would Broberg sign an extension when he asked for a trade? He wouldn’t. The only time I could see Edmonton maybe enticing him to sign a deal would have been before inserting him in the lineup v. Dallas. Even then, he might not have, but that is really the only carrot I could see that could have enticed him to bite on signing a contract. But the Oilers were never going to offer him $4.58M and they shouldn’t have based on what he’s done thus far. I hope things work out for him in St. Louis. I always enjoyed my conversations with him, but I understand why Edmonton didn’t match.

3. I don’t see how anyone can blame Broberg for signing that offer sheet. I’ve seen suggestions it showed he wasn’t willing to take less money while others were. I don’t agree with that comparison at all. Leon Draisaitl has already made over $70M and his next contract will push him well above $100M. Adam Henrique made $64.5m prior to his new two-year deal that will have his career earnings above $70M. Jeff Skinner will be above $80M in career earnings at the end of the season. It is easy for those players to “take less” when they have generational wealth already secured. Broberg has earned less than $1.7M thus far when you factor in how much time he was in the American League during his three-year ELC. He’d be a fool not to get himself $9M in guaranteed money over the next two seasons.

4. Dylan Holloway was a bit different scenario. The Oilers could have matched his offer sheet, but they would have had to shuffle some other people around the roster to be cap compliant to start the season. Once they acquired Podkolzin, it seemed inevitable they weren’t going to match Holloway’s offer. That decision is more open for debate from all angles. Holloway at $2.29M isn’t outrageous. If he scores 13-15 goals and 30+ points he will be good value for the Blues. I think that is very doable for Holloway, and part of me wonders if he might have been a bit impatient. He will earn more on this two-year deal in St. Louis, but what about his next deal? I think Holloway would have more opportunity to put up points in Edmonton. He likely would have started on the third line, but one injury to a winger in the top six and Holloway would have got some time playing with either Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid. Your odds of producing increases significantly when you play with them. Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou are good young players, but they aren’t in the same offensive category as McDavid or Draisaitl.However, Holloway’s side could argue he will have more of an opportunity to be a regular in the Blues’ top six and he will be able to earn a nice raise over the next two seasons. Again, time will give us a clearer picture. For the Oilers, they need Podkolzin to find the game he had as a rookie in 2021-22 when he produced 14 goals and 26 points in 79 games. The past two seasons he’s only got four goals and nine points in 58 games. And he didn’t light up the AHL either, producing 22 goals and 46 points in 72 games. The 10th-overall pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft has great shot, good speed and loads of potential. It was a low risk, high return trade to make and I like the bet the Oilers are taking on him, but will add more than what Holloway could have?

5. The Ceci for Emberson trade is interesting. Some wondered why they would make the deal knowing they weren’t going to qualify Broberg, and the answer I received was two-fold. They didn’t want to start the season in LTIR (Evander Kane) and they really like Emberson. The former is important for creating cap flexibility and potentially gaining cap space leading up to the trade deadline. If Emberson can have a career like Ceci, both he and the Oilers would be thrilled. Ceci has been a solid NHL D-man for a long time. Over the past decade Ceci has played the seventh-most games among D-men at 737. He is 23rd in time on ice and he is 79th in points. He’s had an amazing career and he’s been a solid contributor in the playoffs, especially in Game 7s. He scored two massive goals in Game 7s and had a stellar assist to spring Mattias Janmark for his breakaway goal this past June v. the Panthers. Replacing Ceci won’t be as easy as some believe. He wasn’t a dominant player, and he wasn’t paid to be one, but he was reliable, very solid on the penalty kill and beloved by his teammates. Emberson doesn’t have Ceci’s experience, but he’s a decent skater and his best attributes are as a defensive defender. I have never seen him play a full NHL game. I won’t claim to know his best strengths, but I reached out to a few coaches in the AHL and two NHL scouts and their consensus was the following.He is comfortable in his own zone. He reads the ice well, has good instincts in front of his net (box out, good stick position) and he’s a decent passer. They all used the term steady when describing him. If he is just that, then he should be a solid addition. They varied in their projections of him as an NHL defender. One felt he could be a #4, two had him as a #5 and one felt he’d be a solid, every day #6. I’m interested to watch him develop and progress in Edmonton, but it is important to note that playing 30 games for a last-place San Jose is very different than joining a Cup contender in Edmonton. While the Oilers will need to be patient with his mistakes, the truth is it is more difficult to be patient when your goal is to win the Cup, compared to coaches and management on a rebuilding team.Oilers defence coach Paul Coffey is fine with mistakes, in fact he said, “If you don’t make mistakes you aren’t trying to make plays.” The Oilers blueliners loved Coffey’s approach and Coffey told me he doesn’t ask others their opinion on players. He doesn’t want to prejudge any player, and his main requirement for his defenders is to make plays. He doesn’t want them to be afraid of mistakes. “How they react on their next shift after a mistake is what I watch for,” said Coffey during one of our conversations last season. Emberson is young, and mistakes will happen, but how he reacts to them will be a big factor in how Coffey uses him.

6. Evander Kane starting the season on the injured list was something I mentioned after the Stanley Cup. How long he stays on IR (injured reserve) is unknown and will depend what surgery he has. Jeff Jackson mentioned Kane’s hip after the draft, and if his surgery involves his hip, then who knows how long he will be out. He might be placed on LTIR later in the season, depending on his recovery time, and if that happens then the Oilers will have significant cap flexibility at the trade deadline. As much as he’d like to rush back, based on how he returned from other injuries, I wonder if Kane takes a more cautious approach this time. He has two years remaining on his contract, and next year will be a huge season for him when it comes to his next contract — I’m not sure he can afford to return to play this year before he is fully healthy. It could cost him millions on his next deal.

7. I had an awesome holiday. I didn’t leave the province, but we did day trips and different activities with my 10-year-old son. The Wibit at Sylvan Lake is a must-do. He loved it, and so did I, although my groin muscles were a tad tight the next day. I finished my holidays we my annual golf trip with my buddies. We’ve done it for almost 20 years now, and it has evolved over time. This year we golfed Thursday at Brewsters in Kananaskis. Unreal value for $80. It isn’t long, but it is narrow with small greens, and the scenery is amazing. Highly recommend it. We golfed Kananskis on Saturday, which is always a good time, although it was windy. Friday is an off-day and you choose what to do. Last year we went hiking and we opted for another hike this year. I’m not a regular hiker. I don’t have hiking boots (but will get some now), but I love the challenge of a good hike.My buddy Scott has been hiking for years, so he chooses where we go. This year five of us went and we hiked Surrail Ridge via Rawson Lake Trail. It was a 12.9 KM loop with just over 900-meter elevation. The last 400 meters were quite steep. It was challenging for sure, but the view at the top was worth it. If you like a good challenge and a great view I recommend going. It is about 20 minutes past the Kananaskis Golf course.

8. Would the Oilers be interested in signing Tyson Barrie or Justin Schultz to a PTO? They already have four right-shot D-men in Bouchard, Emberson, Troy Stetcher and Josh Brown. They also have Phil Kemp and Max Wanner. You could bring them in, and both will cost very little to sign, but I don’t see why they would. Of the two, Barrie makes more sense, as the group knows him and likes him, but I could see him signing with a team where he feels he has more opportunity to play.

9. Edmonton could use another left D in camp, but the only available UFAs are Mark Giordano (40 years old), Alex Goligoski (39), Mark Staal (37), Marco Scandella (34) and Jarrod Tinordi (32).

10. Will the Oilers score 300 goals this season? In the 19 seasons of the salary cap era, only 12 teams have scored 300+ goals.
337 – 2022 Panthers
325 – 2023 Oilers
319 – 2019 Lightning
313 – 2010 Capitals
312 – 2006 Senators
312 – 2022 Maple Leafs
309 – 2022 Blues
308 – 2022 Avalanche
305 – 2022 Wild
302 – 2024 Avalanche
301 – 2023 Bruins
301 – 2006 Red WingsColorado was the only team to reach 300 last year.

Edmonton was fourth with 292 goals. They did score 257 goals (3.72/game) in the 69 games under Knoblauch, which prorates to 305 over 82 games. Edmonton was third in 5×5 goals with 193 behind Toronto (200) and Colorado (197) and under Knoblauch they scored 171 5×5 goals (2.47/game).We’ve seen teams score 200 goals 5×5 only nine times in the salary cap era, and if the Oilers can do that, then it is very likely they surpass 300 as well. Jeff Skinner is tied for the 13th-most 5×5 goals in the NHL over the past three seasons with 65, and his addition should make the Oilers 5×5 scoring even more lethal.