Oilers fans react to losing Holloway and Broberg: “Joke management”

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After a week filled with speculation, the Edmonton Oilers chose not to match the offer sheets Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg signed with the St. Louis Blues.

It’s not an ideal situation for the Oilers, who, in return for the two brightest young talents in their organization, have received just a second and third-round pick as compensation. They did add a bit extra, however, as the Blues also dealt them a 2028 third-round pick and the rights to defenceman prospect Paul Fischer in exchange for future considerations.

With Holloway signing a two-year deal worth $2.29 million annually, and Broberg signing a two-year deal with a $4.58 million cap hit, the Oilers ultimately chose cap space over their two first-round draft picks.

Management did make a few moves to help try and soften the blow, as they acquired forward Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks late last week. They also acquired defenceman Ty Emberson from the San Jose Sharks but moved out Cody Ceci in the same deal.

While the decision to move on from both Holloway and Broberg should benefit the Oilers from a cap perspective with Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard in need of extensions, questions remain as to why both weren’t locked up months prior. After learning that neither was matched this morning, many fans expressed their frustrations with management.

Thanks to a fantastic opening day of free agency that saw them sign Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, the Oilers forward group will be arguably the best of any team in the NHL this coming season. The blue line, on the other hand, has gotten significantly weaker and may require Bowman to seek out a move to help upgrade it between now and the trade deadline.

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