2 Moves Oilers Must Make To Match Blues Offer Sheets For Broberg & Holloway

The St. Louis Blues came out of nowhere to send offer sheets to both Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. The Edmonton Oilers are already in a bit of cap trouble, so this will have to force their hand to make moves in order to match in the next seven days.

The Blues offer sheeted Broberg at two years, $4.58 million AAV and Holloway at two years, $2.29 million AAV. That's $6.87 million the Oilers have to clear quickly, but it can be done.

Both Broberg and Holloway stepped up late last season and showed that they are worth keeping around. Broberg, if he isn't already, is going to be a strong top-4 option. If the Oilers choose to match his offer sheet, he may have to be right away. In order to clear cap space, one of Cody Ceci or Brett Kulak have to go. The obvious choice that everyone has been yelling for the Oilers to make is to trade Ceci. As it didn't look like that was happening this summer before this offer sheet, it should now. He has one year left at $3.25 million and was ineffective to the point where he was dropped to the third pairing. Even if Edmonton gives up picks to do it, it has to be done to protect the present and future in Broberg.

Holloway is a little more affordable, but another move still has to be made regardless. While trading Ceci opens more than enough to match the offer sheet for Holloway, Evander Kane's health is going to play a big factor. It is expected he starts the season on the LTIR, so that gives the Oilers a bit more time to figure out exactly what they are going to do. Maybe the solution is trading Kane. As he is probably a third line player on the Oilers this coming season and his cap hit is $5.125 million AAV, it is a problem. He has two years left, so the Oilers may have to once again use some assets to move him, but his time in Edmonton was running out anyways, especially with Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson being brought in.

On top of it all, the Oilers are likely going to have to hold less than 23 players on their roster with Troy Stecher spending most or all of the season in the minors.