More insight on why Oilers didn't match offer sheets for Broberg or Holloway

This time two weeks ago, the Edmonton Oilers seemed to be in a really good position. After the way they had attacked the beginning of free agency, the roster -- on paper at least -- seemed to be even better than the one which came oh so close to the city's first Stanley Cup since 1990.

Unfortunately for everyone concerned, the Oilers were then met with a massive curveball, courtesy of the St. Louis Blues' double offer sheet for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. After much soul searching and a couple of trades, Stan Bowman and the rest of the front office decided to let both players walk.

As a result, the Oilers roster was weakened, leading to questions and in some cases confusion, about why they didn't match at least one of the offer sheets from the Blues? Well now we have some more clarity, courtesy of one of the very best hockey insiders in the sports media industry.

All about the salary cap

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has reported that the Oilers declined to bring back at least one of Broberg and Holloway, in order to maintain some cap flexibility. More specifically, with a view towards being able to address any roster weaknesses during the 2024-25 season.

Friedman shared the information during a Sunday edition of his popular 32 Thoughts articles. He wrote: "I wasn’t surprised Edmonton didn’t match Philip Broberg’s offer sheet, but I was — a bit — that they didn’t keep Dylan Holloway. However, I see what Edmonton decided: keeping in-season cap flexibility is paramount, and they worked backward from there. They want as much ability as possible to address weaknesses in-season, which means limiting LTIR use. So, while this episode is complete, there’s still more in the series. Let’s see, in a few months, what Edmonton does. For now, they turn their attention to Leon Draisaitl."

You can well imagine the angst caused for Bowman and the Oilers, in deciding what to do. As per Friedman's comments, Holloway would indeed have been the cheaper option, with his $2.29 million x two deal working out at half of Broberg's offer.

At the same time however, Broberg has the higher ceiling, combined with the Oilers' defence being perceived as not as strong as the forward group. Interestingly though, Friedman did add that the Oilers' best offer to the blue liner was apparently 'only' around $1.8 million per season; if true, there was never going to be a situation where they matched the $4.58 million x two on offer from the Blues.

Potential irony of letting both Broberg and Holloway walk

We could point out the irony of wanting to maintain some cap flexibility to address any roster weaknesses, when actually letting both Broberg and Holloway itself made the Oilers weaker. However, we do also appreciate that the team will likely be able to find cheaper options, albeit whether they are of comparable talent to either of the departed duo, is another matter altogether.

Still on the subject of being weaker, we do believe also trading Cody Ceci away had a similar effect. Again though, as per Friedman's cap flexibility comments, the removal of his $3.25 million salary for the coming season does help if you want to focus purely on the financial aspect.

The reality is that this is all just a part of the challenges which every NHL team faces, with the drama and stress manufactured from implementing a salary cap in the first place. In a general sense, what the Oilers have dealt with over the past couple of weeks is no different to any of the other 32 organisations.

Ultimately, the Oilers still have a strong overall roster, albeit now also the oldest after losing Broberg and Holloway, as the only one averaging 30 years of age and over. The Stanley Cup remains the number one goal for the organisation, and it will be interesting to see how the decision of the last couple of weeks impacts them moving forward, specifically in 2024-25.

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