Latest development in Edmonton may force new GM to make a huge trade

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Tom Banks
August 14, 2024 (3:31 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers were rocked by two offer sheets on Tuesday, and now new General Manager Stan Bowman has his work cut out for him.

After weeks of waiting, a team finally pulled the trigger on offer sheeting not one, but both of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, with the St. Louis Blues making the shock offer sheets.

This leaves new General Manager Stan Bowman in an intriguing spot, as he will not only be forced to make a big decision on the two rising stars, but if he chooses to match the deal, he'll have to make some more big moves. If the team do match both offers, the Oilers will then be $7.2 million over the salary cap heading into the 2024/25 season, giving Bowman some tough choices to make.

If the team opt to go this route, the first move they will need to make is placing Evander Kane on LTIR, but unfortunately, that will still leave them with over $3.67 million to clear before the season begins if they wish to be salary cap compliant, with Oilers fans already aware of the move that needs to be made.

Unfortunately for them, trading Cody Ceci is much easier said than done, as it would force them to move out another high pick for a team to take on Ceci's deal over the final year of his deal. If all of this were to happen, the team would then be stuck with two deals that many see as overpays for Broberg and Holloway, so at this point, Bowman may be in a lose-lose situation, even if all of the blame belongs on the head of Ken Holland.

Source: Hockey Feed
Report: It looks like the Oilers will need to make a huge trade to keep Holloway and Broberg