Following a trade to land Vasily Podkoslin and another trade to send Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks, the Edmonton Oilers are a couple of minor moves away from being able to match the offer sheets tendered to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. The first would be placing Evander Kane on LTIR and the second would be demoting a forward worth around $800K. But, that may not be the move the Oilers make as the deadline for the offer sheet decision looms on Monday.
Related: Oilers Respond to Blues’ Offer Sheets with Savvy Trades
Instead, Jason Gregor of Oilers Nation and Sports 1440 says, “I’m not sold the Ceci trade guarantees EDM matches the Broberg offer. Won’t be shocked if EDM doesn’t match either Broberg or Holloway.”
In other words, just because the Oilers moved money and have the ability to match offer sheets, it doesn’t mean they will. Gregor seems to think that Edmonton may walk from both Broberg and Holloway and go in a completely different direction. Considering the Oilers landed Podkolzin and Ty Emberson, the team could flip their cap savings with Kane on LTIR and add another piece or two in free agency.
Emberson isn’t a lock to make the Oilers, but he’s also got a shot. Known for solid defensive metrics, he played well on a San Jose team that was often cratered offensively. He is currently a third-pairing stay-at-home defenceman who brings some physicality and kills penalties. But, he can play more minutes in the right situations. And, at $950K per season, he’s a player who could be placed on waivers and Edmonton could think outside the box with another trade or signing.
McDavid, Draisaitl, and Bouchard Contracts Mean Anything Can Happen With Broberg and Holloway
It’s certainly possible the Oilers made these two trades with the plan to match one of the offers by Tuesday morning. However, with Evan Bouchard, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid all due for big contracts, it’s difficult to predict what the Oilers are thinking. They may be looking to clear space and simply make other plans, letting St. Louis take the two players and the risk that one or both don’t develop to the level the Blues just offered in terms of salaries.
And, considering there’s no way of really knowing how welcomed both Holloway and Broberg will be into the Oilers’ locker room after accepting higher salaries on a roster full of players taking deals, Edmonton may decide this is a valuable lesson to those who aren’t thinking team first.
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