The Edmonton Oilers made strategic moves on Sunday to better position themselves ahead of their looming decisions on two offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues. These moves involved a pair of trades designed to free up salary cap space before the Tuesday deadline to either match the Blues’ offers extended to restricted free agents (RFAs) Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. If the Oilers make two additional roster adjustments before the season starts, they should have the cap space necessary to retain both players.
Edmonton’s first trade saw them send a 2025 fourth-round pick, initially owned by the Ottawa Senators, to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for winger Vasily Podkolzin. The 23-year-old, who was the 10th overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft, split last season between the NHL’s Canucks and the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. Podkolzin recorded two assists in 19 NHL games and added 15 goals, 13 assists, and 28 points in 44 games for Abbotsford. He is set to begin the first season of a two-year contract with an annual cap hit of $1 million.
These trades collectively freed up $1.3 million in cap space for the Oilers, leaving them projected to be $5,925,541 over the salary cap if they choose to match Broberg’s two-year, $4,580,917 AAV deal and Holloway’s two-year, $2,290,457 AAV offer, according to PuckPedia. However, there’s a potential twist involving Evander Kane. The winger is expected to undergo surgery, which could sideline him for the start of the 2024-25 NHL season, and possibly for several months afterward, according to reports from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Oilers commentator Bob Stauffer. This situation would allow the Oilers to place Kane on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), enabling them to exceed the salary cap by up to Kane’s full $5.125 million cap hit until he is ready to return.
If Edmonton matches both Broberg and Holloway’s offer sheets and places Kane on LTIR, they would only exceed the cap by $800,541. To become cap-compliant, the Oilers could then send a player to the minors with a corresponding cap hit, effectively balancing their books while keeping both RFAs under contract until Kane’s return. On the other hand, if they opt to match only one of the offer sheets, they would remain cap-compliant even after Kane returns, per PuckPedia.
Should the Oilers decide to match both contracts, several players could be candidates for reassignment to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Podkolzin and Emberson are among the likely options, as both have spent time in the AHL recently. Another potential candidate is Josh Brown, who carries a $1 million cap hit, though he hasn’t played in the AHL since the 2018-19 season. Troy Stecher, with a cap hit of $787,500, could also be considered for reassignment, though his lower salary may not provide the necessary cap relief.
Additionally, the Oilers now possess three picks in the 2025 NHL draft: a fourth-rounder, a sixth-rounder, and a seventh-rounder, following these trades. If Edmonton chooses not to match one or both offer sheets, they would receive compensation from the Blues. Broberg’s deal would net a 2025 second-round pick, while Holloway’s would yield a 2025 third-round pick.
For further details on the Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues’ lineups, visit The Hockey News’ depth charts page. To stay updated with the latest news and stories, subscribe to The Hockey News newsletter, and feel free to share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or joining the discussion in our forum.
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