EDMONTON – Defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway have signed with St. Louis after the Edmonton Oilers chose not to match the offer sheets extended by the Blues.
The Blues presented their offers to the restricted free agents on August 21, giving the Oilers until Tuesday morning to respond.
Broberg signed a two-year contract worth $4.58 million annually, while Holloway agreed to a two-year deal valued at $2.29 million per season.
As compensation, the Oilers receive a second-round pick for Broberg and a third-round pick for Holloway.
St. Louis secured the necessary offer sheet compensation by reacquiring their 2025 second-round draft pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins last week.
Broberg, a 23-year-old Swede drafted eighth overall by Edmonton in 2019, contributed two goals and an assist in 10 games during the Oilers’ Stanley Cup final run.
Holloway, selected 14th overall by Edmonton in 2020, is a 22-year-old from Calgary who tallied six goals and three assists in 38 games last season.
The decision not to retain these players is a bold move by new general manager Stan Bowman, who is under pressure to lead Edmonton to a championship following his return from a league suspension related to his handling of the 2010 Blackhawks sexual assault case during his tenure in Chicago.
In a separate transaction with the Blues, the Oilers acquired the rights to unsigned 2023 draft pick, defenseman Paul Fischer, along with a 2028 third-round pick in exchange for future considerations.
Additionally, the Oilers made two trades on Sunday: acquiring forward Vasily Podkolzin from Vancouver in exchange for a fourth-round pick, and trading defenseman Cody Ceci and a third-round pick to San Jose for defenseman Ty Emberson.
Extending offer sheets to restricted free agents is a rare occurrence in the NHL. The last player to sign one was Jesperi Kotkaniemi in 2021 with Carolina, two years after Montreal attempted to use the same tactic to acquire Sebastian Aho from the Hurricanes.
Before Broberg, Holloway, and Kotkaniemi, the last unmatched offer sheet occurred in 2007 when Edmonton successfully signed forward Dustin Penner away from Anaheim.
