The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers are in about as polar opposite positions as two NHL franchises can be. The Flames are in the early stages of a retool, or what many believe is a full rebuild, while the Oilers are coming off of a Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Final and will be every bit as competitive this season.
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As is often the case between rebuilding teams and contenders, they are also in opposite situations cap-wise. The Flames have over $21 million in cap space, while the Oilers are $2.45 million over the max. They’ll have to trade at least one roster player before the 2024-25 season begins to be cap-compliant, though that isn’t where their trouble ends.
The Oilers also have two key pending restricted free agents (RFAs), Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. Both were first-round draft picks who boast plenty of potential. Even when the Oilers find a way to move out salary, the best they can do is sign them to bridge deals. If another team were to sign one to a more lucrative offer sheet, the Oilers likely wouldn’t be able to match it. This is the route the Flames should take. Either player would be a good option, though here is a look at what they both provide.
Dylan Holloway
The Oilers selected Holloway with the 14th overall selection in the 2020 Draft and have been able to be patient with him given their extremely talented roster. The 22-year-old is most comfortable playing left-wing but has proven capable of playing on the right side, as well.
Through 89 regular-season games, Holloway has nine goals and 18 points. Those numbers don’t look exciting but have come mainly in fourth-line minutes. This year’s playoffs, however, showed what Holloway is capable of when playing in a top-six role. He spent many postseason games on a line with Leon Draisaitl, and he delivered. The speedy winger managed five goals in 25 outings and was creating chances left and right thanks to his elite skating and high-end skill. Based on this showing, paired with his solid stats in the American Hockey League (AHL), he should be capable of becoming a regular 50-plus point producer in the NHL.
Though the Flames have several intriguing forward prospects in the ranks, few are projected to be as good as Holloway in the years to come. “Potential” is never a sure thing, of course, but with all the cap space general manager Craig Conroy has, taking a chance on the Calgary-born forward is well worth any potential risk.
Holloway is probably closer to being worth $2 million per year, but the Flames have enough cap space to easily up that number to $3 million. That would make it much more difficult for the Oilers to match, and if they couldn’t, the Flames would only need to part ways with a 2025 second-round pick.
Philip Broberg
Though some were starting to believe Broberg was heading toward draft-bust territory, he proved his doubters wrong during the Oilers’ postseason run. The eighth overall selection from the 2019 Draft has taken some time to develop but seems to have truly arrived. In fact, many scouts recently revealed they believe he will be a top-pairing defenceman within the next few seasons.
Broberg sat out the first two rounds of the playoffs but was called upon for Game 4 of the Western Conference Final versus the Dallas Stars. He was more than ready and dressed for all nine games forward from that point while logging solid minutes throughout.
Like Holloway, Broberg’s best asset is his skating, though it’s far from his only strength. It became apparent throughout his playoff run that he is excellent at breaking the puck out, thanks to his strong offensive instincts. The biggest concern about him before was his defensive play, though he has made leaps and bounds in that area recently. He is far from a physical presence but has great body positioning that gets him in lanes of the opposition’s attack and often allows him to break up plays and clear the zone with relative ease.
Despite having some exciting young blue-line prospects such as Hunter Brzustewicz, Zayne Parekh, Jeremie Poirier, and Artem Grushnikov, Broberg is the closest at this time to being a sure thing in the NHL. There is no wrong option for the Flames in this scenario. If they would prefer adding a body upfront, Holloway is worth pursuing, though if it were to come down to simply wanting the player with more potential, it’s hard to look past Broberg.
If the Flames are willing to sign Broberg to an offer sheet and get him on a deal around roughly $4 million per season, they would only be required to part ways with a 2025 second-round pick, similar to Holloway. That would be almost an impossible contract for the Oilers to match and would be grand larceny from the Flames.
Oilers Rivalry
In today’s NHL, it’s rare to see an offer sheet. Some even think they are an unwise option, as they can destroy a relationship with another team’s management. That said, given the fierce rivalry between the Flames and Oilers, they rarely trade together as it is, meaning a fractured relationship isn’t the end of the world.
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The Flames want to be a better team and have done a good job at piling up prospects and draft picks to help the seasons ahead. While that is all good and dandy, none of them are a sure thing. Some will argue Holloway and Broberg aren’t either, but they are much closer. It would be a wise move for the Flames to consider extending an offer sheet to one of them this summer.
