Oilers could get help from Canucks to resolve offer sheet situation

We're just two days away from finding out what the Edmonon Oilers are going to do, in respect of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. More specifically, will they match either or both offer sheets which were made by the St. Louis Blues?

We've already given our prediction that Broberg is likely gone. This was only reinforced by a report from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, that the blue liner's relationship with the Oilers organisation is effectively beyond repair.

That all said, there is a path forward for the Oilers to be able to keep both Broberg and Holloway if they so desire. As previously written, it includes putting Evander Kane on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) to begin the 2024-25 season, while also trading either Cody Ceci or Brett Kulak.

Not that this path to overturning the current $7,225,541 deficit on the Oilers' salary cap is straightforward. No one knows how long Kane will be on LTIR which alludes to it only providing temporary relief, while opposing teams are apparently asking for a high draft pick in order to take Ceci or Kulak off their hands.

A trade scenario which might just work

With all this in mind, there is a scenario which has presented itself, which could help the Oilers out. This scenario comes courtesy of The Province's Patrick Johnston, and involves the Canucks.

Johnston proposes that the Oilers could trade Kulak to the Canucks, in exchange for fellow defenceman Tucker Poolman. This is actually a decent idea, and one which would benefit both teams equally.

For the Oilers, they will be getting a player who has one year and $2.5 million remaining on his contract. More importantly, he was on LTIR all of last season and is expected to be once again for the entire 2024-25 campaign, due to ongoing migraine issues.

For the Canucks, they will be getting a player who has two years remaining on his current deal, with an Annual Average Value (AAV) of $2.75 million. More importantly, they would slightly upgrade their defensive options.

Why Kulak over Ceci?

Now we can appreciate that some might be wondering why Johnston is suggesting the Canucks take Kulak rather than Ceci? Well for a start, the former has a slightly lower AAV while also offering an extra year of term in the name of continuity.

However, Kulak does also have a connection to the Vancouver area, after previously playing with the WHL's Vancouver Giants between 2010-14. Regardless of this, he's a solid third pairing defenceman, who plays a safe game and has an excellent hockey IQ.

Another thing to note, is Johnston's belief that the Oilers would want another asset to sweeten the deal, given the Canucks would be getting the better player. However, we don't necessarily agree this would be the case; this is a better scenario than giving up Kulak (or Ceci) and a first or second round draft pick just to improve their salary cap situation.

Overall, we really like this trade proposal by Johnston, but whether the Oilers actually go through with it, is another thing altogether. Ultimately we do still believe Broberg is headed to St. Louis, but never say never, with enough possible options for the Oilers to consider to bring him back, along with Holloway.

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