<p>The decision to allow two players to leave town wasn’t an easy one for a returning general manager.</p>



<p>When speaking to the media on Tuesday, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/edmonton-oilers/line-combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a> GM Stan Bowman explained why the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/oilers-dont-match-blues-offer-sheets-for-philip-broberg-and-dylan-holloway">team was unable to match</a> the offer sheets tendered by the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/st-louis-blues/line-combinations">St. Louis Blues</a> for forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg.</p>



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"This came down to a business decision, relative to our short-term as well as our long-term viability for our roster with the salary cap."<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oilers</a> GM Stan Bowman spoke to the media today about not matching the Holloway &amp; Broberg offer sheets.<a href="https://twitter.com/Enterprise?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Enterprise</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoOilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoOilers</a> <a href="https://t.co/Fc5bUNYklR">pic.twitter.com/Fc5bUNYklR</a></p>— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) <a href="https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1825966518791974927?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



<p>“We took our time and exhausted all opportunities,” Bowman said. “And decided not to match. This came down to a business decision, relative to our short-term as well as our long-term viability for our roster with the salary cap. We moved forward with best moves going into training camp.”</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="148"></div>



<p>Bowman admitted that the Oilers’ brass pondered matching either Broberg or Holloway, individually, along with seeing they could afford to re-sign both players.</p>



<p>“What we tried to do was to come up with how our team would look under each scenario. What we decided made the most sense from where we were today.” </p>



<p>Last week, the Blues offer-sheeted Broberg and Holloway each to two-year contracts. Even though the Oilers had seven full days to match the contracts, Bowman and company realized they didn’t have the space to do so. </p>



<p>He also pointed out that the decision not to match St. Louis’ offers had nothing to do with the quality of Broberg and Holloway.</p>



<p>“With that, we were able to do some other transactions once we decided that we were not going to match the offer sheets.”</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="138"></div>



<p>One of those deals came on Sunday, as <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/edmonton-oilers-acquire-forward-vasily-podkolzin-from-vancouver-canucks">Edmonton acquired Vasily Podkolzin</a> from the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/vancouver-canucks/line-combinations">Vancouver Canucks</a> for Cody Ceci. The Oilers also received a 2028 third-round draft, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/oilers-acquire-paul-fischer-2028-third-round-pick-from-blues-for-future-considerations">along with prospect Paul Fischer,</a> from the Blues for future considerations.</p>



<p>“We feel like we’ve been able to accomplish a few things, which gives us a lot of flexibility and options moving forward.”</p>



<p>Broberg’s contract will carry a $4,580,917 AAV through the 2025-26 season, while Holloway will be receiving $2,290,457 over the next two years. In return, the Oilers received a second-round pick for Broberg, and a third-rounder for Holloway. Both picks are for the 2025 NHL Draft.</p>



<p>It was Bowman’s first notable decision as a member of the Oilers. The former Chicago Blackhawks executive <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/stan-bowman-hired-as-gm-and-executive-vp-of-hockey-operations-for-edmonton-oilers">was hired by Edmonton last month</a>.</p>
