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The Edmonton Oilers were surprised this past offseason when the St. Louis Blues tendered offer sheets to young forwards Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. They decided not to match the offers made by the Blues and took the draft compensation instead, which was a 2025 second-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick for both players. The Oilers have now moved on from losing them and did their best to replace them when they traded for Ty Emberson from the San Jose Sharks and Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks. However, recent reports indicate another team may have had an interest in Holloway and Broberg before they joined the Blues.
In a recent segment posted by Flames Nation, Jeff Marek admits that the Calgary Flames were interested in sending offer sheets to the former Oilers duo. Marek acknowledged the significance of what it would mean if their provincial rival had signed Holloway and Broberg and questioned whether the Oilers would have tried harder to match the offer sheets if it came from them instead of the Blues. Marek also hinted at a third team having an interest in sending offer sheets to the pair of youngsters, but he isn’t sure which team it was.
Knowing that the Flames tried to bring them in, let’s look at what the league could’ve looked like if they had acquired the duo, and if they could have had more success staying in Alberta.
Flames Get Younger, Battle of Alberta Intensifies
The most important story behind Holloway and Broberg joining the Flames would have been how intense the battle of Alberta would have become. With two young players choosing to sign offer sheets with a direct rival, combined with Oilers fans having a newfound hatred for the provincial rival after they took two of their players while the team was struggling to find cap space, the games between these two teams would have an extra buzz surrounding them.
The Flames would also be getting much younger if they brought the duo in, considering both players are 23 years old. Broberg, who was drafted 8th overall by the Oilers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, had just 81 NHL games under his belt entering the 2024-25 campaign. In those games, he scored two goals and added 11 assists for 13 points which comes out to a 0.16 points-per-game average. This season has been a bit of a breakout campaign for Broberg, as he has scored two goals and added eight assists for 10 points through 14 games.
Holloway, who was drafted 14th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Oilers, had 89 games under his belt entering the 2024-25 season. He had scored nine goals and added nine assists for 18 points which comes out to a 0.20 points-per-game average. This season with the Blues, he has scored eight goals and added seven assists for 15 points through 26 games, also having a bit of a breakout season in an increased role.
If both players had chosen to sign offer sheets with the Flames, assuming they decided to try and bring them both in, things would have looked a bit different. While the Flames are in the middle of a retool and may miss the playoffs this season, there have been concerns from fans online who don’t believe the team is giving their young guys enough of an opportunity to shine, specifically Matthew Coronato, who has six goals and four assists through 21 games this season.
The biggest benefit for Holloway and Broberg has been their increased roles with the Blues, which the Oilers may not have been able to provide them. Holloway has been a consistent top-six forward in the Blues’ lineup while Broberg, who has been dealing with some injury issues, has been on top pairing alongside Colton Parayko for the majority of the campaign.
With the Flames, it’s hard to imagine either player would have been given an increased role similar to their current situation, so Holloway and Broberg may have made the right decision. At the end of the day, Oilers fans are still sour when it comes to the offer sheet situation. While the Oilers still look like a playoff team and are doing well without them, it isn’t fun losing two of your most promising youngsters who were looking to be big parts of their future.
As the 2024-25 season moves along, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news from around the NHL and the hockey world.
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