Flames nearly went after Holloway/Broberg before Oilers lost them
The debut of Jeff Marek’s new hockey show, The Sheet, was mandatory listening for Edmonton Oilers fans this afternoon.
The veteran hockey broadcaster made his triumphant return to hockey broadcasting, and while his headline guest was former Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft, it was not the most interesting Edmont0n-related tidbit the show had.
That honour belongs to a report regarding the status of ex-Oilers players Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, who each signed two-year offer sheets with the St. Louis Blues over the summer. While losing two former first-round picks was a tough blow for the Oilers and their fan base, it was almost much, much worse.
According to Marek, the Calgary Flames very nearly sent an offer sheet of their own to Holloway and Broberg before they eventually ended up with the Blues.
“It sounds very much like one of the teams was the Calgary Flames,” Marek reported. “Just consider what they would have done to the Battle of Alberta and if there would have been any more pressure on Edmonton to try to maneuver their player personnel to match the offer knowing that it was their provincial rival.”
A third team was also considering a dual offer sheet on these players alongside St. Louis and Calgary, but Marek said he did not know who that last team was.
There is no question that the offer sheet debacle would have hit brand-new levels if it was Calgary that ended up making a successful bid for Holloway and Broberg. It makes a world of sense as the rebuilding Flames would have plenty of room to add two young NHL-calibre players.
It also wouldn’t be surprising to see Flames GM Craig Conroy try to get one over his provincial rival, as he reportedly played hardball with the Oilers in trade negotiations over Chris Tanev last season. With these two teams on polar opposite sides when it comes to each other’s respective Stanley Cup window, it would have been an interesting way to spice up the rivalry.
However, this did not come to pass. Instead, both players opted to sign with a St. Louis team that isn’t quite competing but isn’t rebuilding either. Both Broberg and Holloway have thrived with the Blues just two months into their tenure.
Holloway has already smashed career highs with seven goals and 13 points in just 25 games, while Broberg tallied two goals and nine points in 13 games before a knee injury sidelined him for just about the entire month of November.
Those two players will return to the Alberta capital later this week as the Blues face the Oilers at Rogers Place on Saturday night. One has to think that the Oilers faithful won’t take too kindly to these players jumping ship over the summer.
Luckily for Broberg and Holloway, the vitriol shouldn’t be as bad as it would have been if they signed with the Flames.