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In the end, the Edmonton Oilers’ decision not to match the offer sheets defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway received from the St. Louis Blues on Aug. 13 was much more about the future than the present.

Sure, Broberg, 23, and Holloway, 22, could have been a part of the Oilers’ success going forward, as they were in helping them reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers last season before falling one win short of their first championship since 1990. But the Oilers’ difficult choice to let the two restricted free agents join the Blues focused on a bigger picture in which they need to fit Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, and, eventually, Connor McDavid into their long-term salary cap structure while also leaving the short-term flexibility to maneuver under its confines and make another run at the Cup this season.

That included having space to keep Evander Kane and his $5.125 million salary cap hit off long-term injured reserve while it’s determined whether he’ll require sports hernia surgery.

If Edmonton had matched the contracts offered by St. Louis to Broberg (two years, $9.16 million; $4.58 million average annual value) and Holloway (two years, $4.58 million; $2.9 million AAV), it would have been a difficult situation. However, when the Oilers’ decision-making period ended on Tuesday, they chose to accept the compensation from the Blues – a 2025 NHL Draft second-round pick for Broberg and a third-round pick for Holloway – and proceed onwards.

“Let’s be clear, this is in no way a reflection of the players,” stated Stan Bowman, General Manager of the Oilers. “I had no concerns about the players. The decision was purely business-oriented, considering our short-term and long-term roster viability in relation to the salary cap,” he added.

Bowman’s appointment as Oilers GM on July 24, following the end of Ken Holland’s five-year contract on July 1, was swiftly challenged by the twin offer sheets. The decisions made about Broberg and Holloway by the Oilers will be evaluated over time, and it is inevitable that there will be extensive discussion on whether the team could have made different moves before August 13 to prevent finding themselves in this situation.

Looking forward, more significant priorities await, starting with Draisaitl who is in the last season of his eight-year contract worth $68 million ($8.5 million AAV). He will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2025. Bowman stated that he has initiated preliminary discussions with Mike Luit, the agent of the 28-year-old forward, but chose not to disclose details.

“Don’t interpret that in a negative way,” he said. “I’m just not keen on setting a timeline or anything similar. We’ve initiated the process and if any updates arise, we’ll definitely keep everyone informed.”

Aside from McDavid, Draisaitl is the most crucial player for the Oilers. He ranked seventh in the NHL in the previous season, scoring 106 points (41 goals, 65 assists) in 81 regular-season games, and third in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in 25 games. Even with the expected salary cap increase from $88 million this season, committing to an annual average value (AAV) of $7.48 million for Broberg and Holloway in 2025-26 may have posed restrictions, especially with Bouchard entering the last season of his two-year, $7.8 million contract ($3.9 million AAV). The 24-year-old defenseman will be eligible to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights from July 1.

The day when McDavid will be qualified to ink a new contract with Edmonton also coincides with that day. The 27-year-old Oilers captain, who still has two seasons remaining on his $100-million eight-year contract ($12.5 million AAV), will turn into an unrestricted free agent if he does not sign a new agreement before its expiration.

The Oilers had all of that in mind as they decided how to respond to the offer sheets for Broberg and Holloway.

Bowman stated, “The alternative scenarios, which involved matching both or either one of them, would have significantly altered our position regarding the salary cap for the present season, not to mention the coming years. That’s why we made the decision we did.”

Bowman also noted the importance of not putting Kane on long-term injured reserve. It’s still to be determined if the 33-year-old forward will miss any time, but even if he needs surgery and is out for an extended period, Edmonton expects him to play at some point this season. So it would need to have the salary cap space to place him on its active roster.

If Kane doesn’t get placed on LTI and the Oilers have some remaining salary cap space, they can accumulate more space throughout the season. This will provide them with the opportunity to bring in new players before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline to strengthen their team for the playoffs.

Bowman explained, “When you activate a player from a long-term injury after a few months, you start with no cap space and have to try to build it up. However, it’s impossible to do so in just a month. These considerations influenced our decision.”

Once the decision was made not to match the offer sheets, the Oilers made three trades for younger players. They acquired forward Vasily Podkolzin, 23, from the Vancouver Canucks (for a fourth-round pick in 2025) and defenseman Ty Emberson, 24, from the San Jose Sharks (for defenseman Cody Ceci and a third-round pick in 2025) on Sunday and defenseman prospect Paul Fischer, 19, plus a third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft from the Blues (for future considerations) on Monday.

The relocation of Ceci, who has one season left on his four-year, $13 million contract ($3.25 AAV), has created extra salary cap for this season. This move also means that Edmonton is now without three of its best seven defensemen from the previous season, as Broberg and Vincent Desharnais (now signed with Vancouver) have also left.

The Oilers will try to get by — at least to begin the season — with what they have, including Emberson and Josh Brown, who was signed to a three-year, $3 million contract ($1 million AAV) on July 1.

Bowman stated, “Our group has changed, and we’re optimistic that some of these defensemen can step up and take on more responsibilities. Additionally, this situation provides us with the chance to potentially gain some cap space and be competitive. If necessary and if we decide to enhance our team, this scenario could provide the opportunity.”