As the Edmonton Oilers recover from a slow start and deal with their current roster challenges, two of their former RFAs have made a big move with their new team.

The decision to move on from young talents Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway could come back to haunt them. Given that both got off to a good start with the St. Louis Blues, their performances raise the question of whether the Oilers made a mistake in saying goodbye to them.

Holloway and Broberg are showing their potential after signing deals to join the Blues that the Oilers haven’t matched. Broberg has six assists and eight points in 10 games. Holloway has four goals and five points in the same span. Neither player posted those kinds of numbers with the Oilers, but the signs of potential were there.

Fans and analysts are wondering if the Oilers’ choices were short-sighted. In the particular case of Broberg, columnist and Blues insider Andy Strickland commented he was surprised that the Oilers allowed a player of Broberg’s caliber and skating ability to leave.

“Typically, the only way to get your hands on these guys is to recruit them,” Strickland wrote in a statement. Message. “They placed him eighth overall and lost him at 23. How good will this guy be at 27?”

If it is true that the Oilers would have loved to keep both players and their untapped potential, is that clear?

Salary cap and history played a big role

Broberg and Holloway’s situations in Edmonton and St. Louis are different. There is no certainty that their hot start would have happened with the Oilers as well.

In Broberg’s case, he’s been through a lot with Edmonton, and it hasn’t always been positive. Injuries slowed his development, as did losses to other defensemen in successive training camps. He seemed to have potential, but something inevitably got in his way.

After five seasons of slow development in Edmonton, Broberg had yet to prove himself. At that point, not only would he have been frustrated with how things had gone, but the Oilers were in a different position as a contender.

By the time Broberg showed more value in last season’s playoffs, the Oilers were a Stanley Cup favorite and had virtually no salary cap space to pay what Broberg was worth. It wasn’t possible for the team to match a $4.85 million offer from St. Louis without cutting in several other areas.

The Oilers had an opportunity to sign Broberg earlier in 2023, but prioritized other things. The organization might look back on it now and realize it was a tactical error. Yet it is just as likely that Broberg was not interested at that time, just like he said 32 Thoughts Podcast October 25 he was ready to move on this offseason.

Meanwhile, Holloway wasn’t necessarily looking to leave, but he was looking for a bigger role. He had speed to burn and a nose for the net, but he too was hit by several injuries. He wanted an opportunity and a contract that he probably didn’t win.

Edmonton had an opportunity for Holloway to take the next step, but the team also wanted proven products to make another run at the Cup. Holloway, right?

Time will tell if it was a mistake

Broberg got off to a tremendous start with the Blues, going on a six-game point streak. Since then, he has slowed down, with two points in his last four games. It was planned.

Still, Broberg is playing big minutes and the Oilers could have used another top-four defenseman. Broberg being left-handed would have raised questions, but there’s no doubt he has skills, even if he might not be worth $4.85 million per season at this point in his career. The Blues made a calculated bet that he would be worth that much in the long run.

Holloway will likely be the best value this season, and the Oilers lack speed on the wing. Can he finally stay healthy and score 15-20 goals? History says no, but the Blues believe the opposite.

That said, the Oilers chose financial flexibility rather than locking these players into overpayments. That could lead to some additions at the deadline, which the team will likely do in its quest for another deep playoff run. Meanwhile, the question is whether the aggressive approach taken by the Blues will bear fruit.

Friedman noted in the 32 Thoughts Podcast that other NHL teams are closely watching what the Blues have done. If the offer sheet strategy works, they can try to imitate their moves. If not, these offer sheets could remain a rarely used tactic by NHL general managers.

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