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Blues Submit Offers to Two Oilers RFAs

The St. Louis Blues tendered offer sheets to two Edmonton Oilers' restricted free agents.

Jacob Punturi

Jun 18, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Edmonton Oilers forward Dylan Holloway (55) controls the puck against the Florida Panthers during the first period in game five of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 18, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Edmonton Oilers forward Dylan Holloway (55) controls the puck against the Florida Panthers during the first period in game five of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
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The NHL's offseason was in a quiet place, but suddenly chaos is ensuing again. The St. Louis Blues made an aggressive play to improve their team by tendering a qualifying offer to two of the Edmonton Oilers' restricted free agents.

The Blues are targeting a forward and defender from the Oilers. The Blues submitted a qualifying offer for forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg. The organization announced the news in a press release and provided more details on the contract offers.

Broberg was offered a two-year contract by the Blues that would pay him an average annual salary of $4.58 million. If the Oilers do not match the offer, the Blues will provide a second round as compensation.

Holloway was also offered a two-year contract by the Blues. The deal would carry an average annual salary of $2.29 million. If the Oilers do not match the offer, the Blues will provide a third round pick as compensation.

To satisfy the requirements of submitting the offer sheets, the Blues had to reacquire their own second round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. They had previously traded the pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Kevin Hayes trade. The Blues and Penguins teamed up again for a trade that sent the Penguins a 2025 third round pick and a 2026 second round pick in exchange for the Blues' 2025 second rounder and a 2026 fifth round selection.

The moves would be the first time in several seasons that another team would acquire players in this manner. The Carolina Hurricanes acquired center Jesper Kotkaniemi from the Montreal Canadiens by signing him to a one-year, $6.1 million deal in 2021.

The RFA and offer sheet system is hardly utilized by opposing organizations. The risk is not worth reward in most cases, as the compensation is a huge tax to pay and offering the contract doesn't guarantee they will get the player they target. If anything, the majority of the offer sheets submitted over the years only help the other teams by negotiating contracts for them.

The Oilers now have a week to either match the contracts offered or accept the compensation from the Blues. The pressure is on Edmonton as they either clear salary cap space to accommodate these deals or be forced to lose two promising young players.

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Jacob Punturi
JACOB PUNTURI

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