Latest news with #Broberg
Edmonton Journal
03-08-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
'They probably should have been signed': Have Oilers recovered from August '24 disaster?
This in from former NHL GM and player agent Brian Lawton, his assessment of the August 2024 that saw the Edmonton Oilers lose Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to the St. Louis Blues for pennies on the dollar, a transaction that may well have cost the Oilers the Stanley Cup this season. Article content 'There's no doubt he welcomed the offer sheet,' said Lawton in regards to Broberg, speakng with John Shannon and Darren Millard on the 100% Hockey podcast. 'It wasn't working out. That was a very tough, difficult situation for everyone involved. Ultimately, I would say that both those players, they probably should have been signed… You give them a little more and you lock them up. That didn't happen. I wasn't there, so I can't say why.' Article content Article content Lawton said he was impressed with Broberg in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. 'There was a lot of controversy. I watched every game of that Finals. He played very well, but his analytics weren't great in some areas. So people kept saying it was like he was lucky. And if you really watched that series, you wouldn't conclude he was lucky. He's a big kid that can skate… And that's what he really proved in St. Louis. And that's why that's worked out so well for St. Louis. Tough to find Top 4 D in the NHL. Really tough.' Article content Article content 1. Most Oilers fans will agree that Edmonton suffered a massive blow in losing Broberg and Holloway to the Blues and getting just a second round and a third round pick respectively in compensation. That is way less than those two players were worth in trade, even last summer when they were less proven. Article content Broberg played his way this year into the Top 4 on the Blues defence, while Holloway became one of the NHL's premier power forwards. Holloway attacked with speed, hit with ferocity and scored 63 points for the Blues, before missing the playoffs due to injury. Article content Article content 2. Who is to blame for the fiasco? Oilers fans will also generally agree that former GM Ken Holland failed to ink Broberg and Holloway during the 2023-24 season and that interim GM Jeff Jackson got the Oilers into a dangerous salary cap situation last July when he signed a number of expensive veterans such as Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson and Adam Henrique. Article content If Jackson had held off on just one of those signings, the Oilers might have avoided the two offer sheets, or at least of had ample room to match on Holloway. But not to be. Article content 3. So how have the Oilers recovered from disaster of August '24? Article content Vasily Podkolzin was brought in on a trade and provided great physical play but not the scoring Holloway brought to St. Lou. Edmonton also traded a first round pick to bring in d-man Jake Walman, who played as well, if not better, than Broberg would have for the Oilers in the 2025 playoffs. In this way, new GM Stan Bowman minimized the damage done by the loss of Holloway and Broberg. But it cost the Oilers a first rond pick to get Walman.
New York Times
11-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blues fan survey results: High confidence in Doug Armstrong heading into final year as GM
ST. LOUIS — If The Athletic had posted the Blues offseason fan survey when the playoffs ended in May, there might have been more emotion involved. So we let the sting of a 4-3 double-overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets in Game 7 simmer for a bit before asking for your votes to our 20 questions. That was the right call, because there appears to be a lot of rational thinking in the responses. Advertisement In all, nearly 1,800 subscribers participated in the survey, which is a great turnout. Thank you, and enjoy the read! Many wondered how much the Game 7 loss to Winnipeg changed the outlook of the season, and now after some reflection, we have our answer. The majority of you were still impressed (51.3 percent), while the number of those left disappointed was slightly less (45.3 percent). Now I'm curious what the percentages would have been if the Blues had beaten Winnipeg and lost to Dallas in the second round. Maybe 80-90 percent? There were a lot of good options, and when I put together my rankings, I chose the hiring of Jim Montgomery. Part of the reason I went with Montgomery was because he signed a five-year contract and touches the entire organization, while Holloway and Broberg have one season left on their contracts and occupy a couple of roster spots. But I can make a case for Holloway and Broberg, who could be re-signed, being the right answer. It's crazy to think that in Year 15 of a general manager's career in the same city, more than half of the voters awarded him a perfect 5. In fact, Armstrong got a 4 or better from 95 percent of voters, which is the highest grade he's received outside of the 2018-19 Stanley Cup season. It's more than justified with the quantity and quality of strong moves he made, putting the Blues in position to return to the playoffs. As someone who's covered Steen since he came to St. Louis in 2008, I believe he'll do well because he's a hard worker and drips hockey knowledge. But I cherish honesty and the results show fans being honest, with slightly more voters voicing skepticism (16.7 percent) than those saying he'll do a great job (14.2 percent). That said, Steen has a lot of fans in his corner, with the majority (65.8 percent) saying they'll be supportive. After the seasons Holloway and Broberg had, most agreed keeping them in the fold is No. 1. The rest of the results are interesting. For a team that needs a center, I would've thought that option would've won more heavily than it did over trading Justin Faulk and/or Nick Leddy (28.1 to 25 percent). I also would've thought the vocal group of fans wanting to trade Jordan Kyrou would've been, well, more vocal (5.5 percent). I don't really agree with the results on the contracts for Holloway or Broberg. I understand the desire to play it safe and have them prove a little more, but I think we saw enough to know that they're going to be in the league for a long time. So if you can get them signed to maximum eight-year extensions for $1 million more AAV ($7-8 million), that would've been my choice. Advertisement For Broberg in particular, the Blues have been looking for a lanky, left-shot defenseman who can skate for a long time, and they finally found him — and he's only 23 years old. Sure, Armstrong has handcuffed himself with a few long-term deals to Justin Faulk, Torey Krug and Nick Leddy, but mainly because they were older. That's not the situation here. What if Blues fans were asked about signing an unnamed player who had 100-plus points last season? I wonder how much of the resounding result (77.3 percent) is the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs have underachieved for years as a team and Marner has been a focal point of that. I'm not saying that's the reason — there's also damning video evidence of him not being the grittiest at playoff time and a projected $13 million AAV. With the way Bennett has played for Florida this postseason, I figured he would win in a landslide. But while he did receive the highest total (39.1 percent), he will also likely be overpaid in free agency with a long-term deal will take him into his mid-30s. Thus, a lot of votes came in for Tavares, Granlund or Suter, who can add needed depth up the middle at a more reasonable cost. I figured this would be a high number, but wow! This offseason, Pittsburgh's Mike Sullivan and Vancouver's Rick Tocchet become available, and yet 93.5 percent of voters are thrilled with Montgomery. I feel like even if the Blues had missed the playoffs, the percentage of fans behind Montgomery still would've been high, but certainly he helped his cause. It'll be interesting to see what he can do with a full training camp. I reported in a recent mailbag that it could take until after the Stanley Cup Final before we know whether the Blues' entire coaching staff will be back. There might be other opportunities for some, but again, we'll know soon. In the meantime, we asked fans who should return, and Ott, an assistant for eight seasons, got the most support. David Alexander, who's worked wonders with the goalies, was deservedly next. Thomas didn't get much love from the Selke Trophy voters, finishing 21st behind Buffalo's Alex Tuch (15th), Minnesota's Marcus Foligno (16th) and LA's Phillip Danault (17th). Two things: First, he missed 12 games and full-season numbers would've helped. Second, he's still just 25 years old, and with the Blues missing the playoffs two of the last three seasons, it's difficult to get attention. But Blues fans have spoken. I figured with Buchnevich's role in the Game 7 collapse against Winnipeg, being partly responsible for one of the six-on-five goals against, that there might've been more criticism of the contract. But I've got to give credit to fans for their level-headed reaction — again, that's why we let the end-of-the-season emotion dissipate — in giving him the benefit of any doubt. Some fans are still concerned, but not as many as maybe expected. Fowler was mighty impressive in his 51 regular-season games with the Blues, registering nine goals and 36 points. He was equally impressive on the top defensive pairing with Colton Parayko, and they could be formidable again in what is scheduled to be the final season of Fowler's contract in 2025-26. I thought Blues fans might pick a two-year extension for the 33-year-old, but with the way Fowler skates, three doesn't seem far-fetched. Fans fell in love with the Blues' fourth line and Faksa in particular. He's a low-maintenance glue guy and assuming he wants to return, he'd come reasonably inexpensive, too. Armstrong said in his end-of-the-year press conference that the Blues have interest in re-signing the 31-year-old, so fans may get their wish. Meanwhile, Ryan Suter was a steady and reliable player, but now at 40 years old, there are likely better options. This was a hot question after Binnington led Team Canada to the 4 Nations Face-Off gold medal in March. Since then, Binnington and the Blues showed everyone with their surprising trip to the playoffs that they may be further along the road to contention than people think, and moving Binnington would limit their chances of staying at the highest level. I think the number of people against the idea of exploring a trade (81.9 percent) is well higher than it would've been midseason. It's almost an unfair question because Blues fans only got to see Dvorsky play two games, and unless you traveled to Springfield, Mass., they didn't see Stenberg play at all. However, there's no way you could've watched Snuggerud down the stretch and in the playoffs and not picked him. People have been waiting since he was drafted in the first round in 2022 to see his shot, and after a sneak peek, it'll be on a full-time basis next season. A lot of credit goes to Armstrong, but the ownership group led by chairman Tom Stillman make it possible. They spent to the $88 million salary cap and beyond in 2024-25 if you count the injured players. And when Armstrong makes a decision like firing Drew Bannister and hiring Montgomery, thus having two coaches on the payroll, it's Stillman who must approve. Fans are critical of owners in many cities, so the 'A' speaks volumes. With a few questions, we like to look ahead, and whether the Blues will make the playoffs is always a popular one. Remember when Armstrong admitted a couple of seasons ago that he didn't expect the team to finish too high in the standings? Fans loved the honesty. So after a season in which the Blues ended up in the second wild-card, where will they end up? The sentiment from voters — excluding Armstrong — is that No. 3 in the Central is possible. Finally, we'll wrap up with one that gives context to the fans who are casting these votes. Just because someone goes to a lot of games doesn't make them any more knowledgeable than someone who watches every game from their comfy couch, but it does provide some insight as to who's putting their ticket dollars behind their opinions. I feel with the percentage of voters who are attending at least one game, we have good representation. (Photo of Dylan Holloway: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
Edmonton Journal
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton's decision to pass on Broberg/Holloway looking so much better just now
Article content To assess Bowman's decision at the time, let's look at the facts he faced. 1. Due to neglect, slow-promotion, and the over-cooking of Broberg, the young player had soured on the Oilers organization by the fall of 2023. When the Oilers sent him to Bakersfield of the AHL that fall, Broberg requested a trade. Broberg played well in Bako and it could be that if GM Ken Holland had pounced then and tried to sign up Broberg to a new deal, showing great interest in the player at a down moment, he could have got him signed. Oilers. 2. St. Louis had made a move to trade for Broberg and Dylan Holloway during the 2024 season, but Holland refused to make such a deal. That said, he evidently knew of St. Louis' interest in the players. Did he ever pass that on to Jeff Jackson, who took over from Holland as GM on July 1, 2025? 3. Jackson went on a free agent splurge that July, bringing in Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner and bringing back team free agents like Adam Henrique, Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark. There was wide approval of these moves, including from me, but the assumption was that Jackson also was close to reasonable deals with Holloway and Broberg, both Restricted Free Agents. Broberg had been a Top 4 d-man in the Stanley Cup Final, with Holloway a second line winger in that series. Surely the Oilers would not risk losing such fine young players to offer sheets, right?
Ottawa Citizen
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Edmonton's decision to pass on Broberg/Holloway looking so much better just now
Article content The Edmonton Oilers Broberg/Holloway fiasco hadn't been top of mind in Oil Country, but then came a viral tweet from the St. Louis Blues this past week, that franchise gloating about its offer sheet success with the two former Oilers. Article content — St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 13, 2025 Article content The Blues' post on X-twitter got me thinking again about the matter, as did Edmonton's second round victory over Vegas, with both Jake Walman and John Klingberg combining to give the Oilers excellent minutes as the second pair defensive unit. Article content The money used to pay Walman and Klingberg this year is arguably the same money that the Oilers could have used to match the Broberg and Holloway offer sheets, at least if the Oilers had been in an aggressive and risk-taking mood last August when new GM Stan Bowman had to make that call. Article content Make no mistake, Edmonton's failure to sign Broberg and Holloway were and always will be a major screw-up by the Oilers. At the same time, Klingberg and Walman represent an excellent use of that cap space. Article content Overall, it could well be that the Oilers are a better team now than they would be if they had matched the offer sheets, and I'm not just saying that because Dylan Holloway missed the 2025 playoffs due to yet another injury in his injury-riddled career, thought that can't be set aside. Article content Article content To assess Bowman's decision at the time, let's look at the facts he faced. Article content 1. Due to neglect, slow-promotion, and the over-cooking of Broberg, the young player had soured on the Oilers organization by the fall of 2023. Article content When the Oilers sent him to Bakersfield of the AHL that fall, Broberg requested a trade. Broberg played well in Bako and it could be that if GM Ken Holland had pounced then and tried to sign up Broberg to a new deal, showing great interest in the player at a down moment, he could have got him signed. Oilers. Article content 2. St. Louis had made a move to trade for Broberg and Dylan Holloway during the 2024 season, but Holland refused to make such a deal. That said, he evidently knew of St. Louis' interest in the players. Did he ever pass that on to Jeff Jackson, who took over from Holland as GM on July 1, 2025? Article content 3. Jackson went on a free agent splurge that July, bringing in Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner and bringing back team free agents like Adam Henrique, Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark. There was wide approval of these moves, including from me, but the assumption was that Jackson also was close to reasonable deals with Holloway and Broberg, both Restricted Free Agents. Broberg had been a Top 4 d-man in the Stanley Cup Final, with Holloway a second line winger in that series. Surely the Oilers would not risk losing such fine young players to offer sheets, right?
Calgary Herald
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Edmonton's decision to pass on Broberg/Holloway looking much better just now
The Edmonton Oilers Broberg/Holloway fiasco hadn't been top of mind in Oil Country, but then came a viral tweet from the St. Louis Blues this past week, that franchise gloating about its offer sheet success with the two former Oilers. Article content Article content — St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 13, 2025 Article content The Blues' post on X-twitter got me thinking again about the matter, as did Edmonton's second round victory over Vegas, with both Jake Walman and John Klingberg combining to give the Oilers excellent minutes as the second pair defensive unit. Article content The money used to pay Walman and Klingberg this year is arguably the same money that the Oilers could have used to match the Broberg and Holloway offer sheets, at least if the Oilers had been in an aggressive and risk-taking mood last August when new GM Stan Bowman had to make that call. Article content Make no mistake, Edmonton's failure to sign Broberg and Holloway were and always will be a major screw-up by the Oilers. At the same time, Klingberg and Walman represent an excellent use of that cap space. Article content Overall, it could well be that the Oilers are a better team now than they would be if they had matched the offer sheets, and I'm not just saying that because Dylan Holloway missed the 2025 playoffs due to yet another injury in his injury-riddled career, thought that can't be set aside. Article content Article content To assess Bowman's decision at the time, let's look at the facts he faced. Article content 1. Due to neglect, slow-promotion, and the over-cooking of Broberg, the young player had soured on the Oilers organization by the fall of 2023. Article content When the Oilers sent him to Bakersfield of the AHL that fall, Broberg requested a trade. Broberg played well in Bako and it could be that if GM Ken Holland had pounced then and tried to sign up Broberg to a new deal, showing great interest in the player at a down moment, he could have got him signed. Oilers. Article content 2. St. Louis had made a move to trade for Broberg and Dylan Holloway during the 2024 season, but Holland refused to make such a deal. That said, he evidently knew of St. Louis' interest in the players. Did he ever pass that on to Jeff Jackson, who took over from Holland as GM on July 1, 2025? Article content 3. Jackson went on a free agent splurge that July, bringing in Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner and bringing back team free agents like Adam Henrique, Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark. There was wide approval of these moves, including from me, but the assumption was that Jackson also was close to reasonable deals with Holloway and Broberg, both Restricted Free Agents. Broberg had been a Top 4 d-man in the Stanley Cup Final, with Holloway a second line winger in that series. Surely the Oilers would not risk losing such fine young players to offer sheets, right?
