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Elliotte Friedman surprised by Edmonton Oilers' decision to not match Dylan Holloway's $4.58M offer sheet
The Edmonton Oilers chose not to match Dylan Holloway's offer sheet from the St. Louis Blues. He signed a two-year, $4.58 million contract with a $2.29 million annual average value.
Hockey analyst Elliotte Friedman expressed surprise at Edmonton's decision. Holloway was the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and has shown promise. Last season, he recorded nine points in 38 regular-season games and seven points in 25 playoff games.
In his 32 Thoughts column, Friedman noted that he wasn't surprised by Edmonton's decision not to match Philip Broberg's offer sheet. However, he was surprised they let Holloway go.
"I wasn’t surprised Edmonton didn’t match Philip Broberg’s offer sheet, but I was — a bit — that they didn’t keep Dylan Holloway." Friedman wrote.
According to Friedman, Edmonton's priority is keeping salary cap flexibility during the season. This allows them to address roster needs as they arise.
"However, I see what Edmonton decided: keeping in-season cap flexibility is paramount, and they worked backward from there. So, while this episode is complete, there’s still more in the series. Let’s see, in a few months, what Edmonton does. For now, they turn their attention to Leon Draisaitl." Friedman added.
Friedman also mentioned that Holloway did well financially with his new contract. The Oilers had made lower offers in July, per Friedman's source, with one- and two-year deals around $850,000 and $1 million per year, respectively. Ultimately, the higher offer from St. Louis led Holloway to sign with the Blues.
" I do know this: there were one- and two-year offers made in July — at approximately $850K (the former) and $1M (the latter). He did very well financially, too." Friedman wrote.
The Oilers' focus now is on maintaining cap space for future moves. Friedman's comments suggest this decision reflects a strategic choice to prioritize flexibility over retaining Holloway.
Dylan Holloway's opinion on signing with St. Louis Blues
Dylan Holloway said it was a rare chance he couldn’t pass up. Negotiations with Edmonton were far apart. St. Louis’s vision for the team appealed to him, making it a good option.
"It's kind of a crazy opportunity, it doesn't happen often, but it was an opportunity I really couldn't pass up," Holloway said (via NHL.com. "For myself, we were trying to get a number with Edmonton and we were just pretty far off in our negotiations, I'd say. With St. louis, too I was able to talk to (Blues GM) Doug Armstrong before I signed it and he gave me a vision of where St. Louis is going as a team.
Dylan Holloway wasn’t sure about the offer sheet's outcome but thought it would be a good option either way.
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