The St. Louis Blues shocked the hockey world on Tuesday morning by signing Edmonton Oilers RFAs Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to offer sheets, but there have long been hints that they might try something like this.
Speaking to reporters in St. Louis back in June, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was very open about the reality that offer sheets are deemed far less taboo than they used to be among executives around the NHL.
“There’s a perception that offer sheets are taboo by managers. Offer sheets that don’t work are taboo by managers. That’s the assessment we all make,” Armstrong said, in a quote that was recirculated by The Athletic‘s Jeremy Rutherford on Tuesday. “I think teams are more than willing to at least explore that now.
“The cap has gone up, but a lot of that money has already been spent by the teams,” Armstrong continued. “If you have an RFA that is in an uncomfortable spot, it’s at least my job responsibility to assess: Is that an option that we should explore?”
Army cont'd: "The cap has gone up, but a lot of that money has already been spent by the teams. If you have an RFA that is in an uncomfortable spot, it’s at least my job responsibility to assess: Is that an option that we should explore?” (2/2)
The answer was yes. #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) August 13, 2024
The Oilers certainly fall into the category of a team that used up most of its cap space early in free agency. Under interim GM Jeff Jackson, the club signed Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, and Josh Brown, while also re-signing Adam Henrique, Corey Perry, Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark, Troy Stecher, and Calvin Pickard.
However, the Oilers are no longer managed directly by Jackson, who returned to his post as CEO after hiring former Chicago Blackhawks executive Stan Bowman as his permanent replacement. These days, Bowman is one of the most controversial men in the hockey world and also has a long history with Armstrong from their days managing bitter rivals in the Central Division. In an extra twist, former Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli now serves as the vice president of hockey operations with the Blues.
Both Broberg and Holloway have already agreed to terms with the Blues on their new two-year contracts. The Oilers have one week from today to decide whether to match either of the deals, although their delicate salary cap situation will likely prevent them from retaining both players.
Broberg’s new contract is worth just over $4.5 million per season, while Holloway’s carries a cap hit just under $2.3 million. If the Oilers elect not to match both deals, they’ll receive a 2025 second-round pick as compensation for Broberg and a 2025 third-round pick for Holloway.
