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Blues GM Fires Back at Unwritten Rules of NHL

Doug Armstrong took a chance and did what was best for the St. Louis Blues regardless of any unofficial "code."

Nick Horwat

Feb 18, 2020; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong talks with the media about the acquisition of defenseman Marco Scandella from the Montreal Canadians prior to a game against the New Jersey Devils at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2020; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong talks with the media about the acquisition of defenseman Marco Scandella from the Montreal Canadians prior to a game against the New Jersey Devils at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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Offer sheets are an often talked about, but extremely rare piece of the NHL puzzle. With only three being completed successfully in the last 16 years, what the St. Louis Blues did with two of the Edmonton Oilers’ top prospects is nearly unheard of.

The Blues signed forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg two respective two-year contracts while they sat as restricted free agents in the Oilers organization. Despite the rarity of the situation, what Blues’ president and general manager Doug Armstrong did is perfectly legal under the NHL’s rules.

Sports are full of unwritten rules or “codes” that are expected to be followed, and NHL executives have their own set of standards. What made offer sheets so rare is the belief that every team can take as much time as they need to work out new deals with their restricted free agents.

Armstrong, however, isn’t worried about following any unwritten rule.

“If there’s a GM code not to do offer sheets, nobody emailed it to me,” Armstrong said after signing his two newest players. “It was reported I wouldn’t have done this to Kenny Holland, that’s not the truth. I’d do it to my mother if she was managing the Oilers.”

The Oilers recently hired Stan Bowman as their new general manager to replace the Ken Holland. Regardless of who is in charge, even if it was the one who gave birth to Armstrong, the Blues were going after two primary targets.

Armstrong saw two players without deals and the Blues organization had the assets to sign them right out from under the Oilers.

“We did it because we wanted to improve the St. Louis Blues,” Armstrong said. “That’s the bottom line.”

Holloway and Broberg are yet to make their full leaps into the NHL with both playing in fewer than 90 games in their careers. This upcoming 2024-25 season was expected to be both of their breakout years, but the Oilers may not have had the roster space to play them.

On the Blues, Holloway and Broberg are both expected to have prominent roles in the NHL lineup.

The Oilers sat on their hands and the Blues pounced on the opportunity. Armstrong did what he felt was best for his team and no one can fault him for utilizing every method at his disposal.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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