Blues swipe pair of RFAs from Oilers

Defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway are joining the Blues after the Edmonton Oilers declined the option to match the offer sheets extended by St. Louis last week.

The restricted free agents head to St. Louis, and the Oilers will receive the Blues' second- and third-round draft picks in 2025. Edmonton confirmed Tuesday it wouldn't match the offers and also executed a separate trade for defenseman Doug Fischer and the Blues' third-round pick in 2028.

Also Tuesday, defenseman Oscar Klefbom announced his retirement after 378 games with the Oilers, who selected him with the 19th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. The 31-year-old from Sweden hadn't played in the NHL since 2020 because of a shoulder injury.

With the Blues, Broberg will receive a two-year contract worth $9.16 million, resulting in the second-round pick going to the Oilers. Holloway, offered two years and $4.58 million, cost St. Louis the third-round pick.

"We took our time and exhausted all opportunities and decided not to match," Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said Tuesday, per Sportsnet. "This became a business decision, short/long term. We moved forward with best moves going into training camp."

Expecting Edmonton wouldn't match, the Blues made a move with the Pittsburgh Penguins to start lining up the required picks. The Blues sent their 2026 second-round pick and the Ottawa Senators' 2025 third-round selection to the Penguins for a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fifth-round selection from Pittsburgh.

That 2025 second-rounder originally belonged to the Blues, who dealt it to the Penguins for forward Kevin Hayes on June 29.

The Oilers selected Broberg with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 draft, and the 23-year-old has played in 81 regular-season games, tallying two goals and 11 assists. He also appeared in 20 playoff games.

Holloway was the No. 14 overall pick of the 2020 draft and has appeared in 89 regular-season games, recording nine goals and nine assists. In 25 games in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Holloway, 22, scored seven points (five goals, two assists).

--Field Level Media