Offer sheets: “We wanted to attack Edmonton for the way Ken Holland was treated”

Yesterday morning, the Blues decided to spice up a (very) quiet NHL off-season. The club announced yesterday morning that it had submitted two hostile offer sheets, which had been accepted.

The two offers in question were made to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, two members of the Oilers.

For many, this was a way for the Blues to try and get a foothold in the Oilers’ cash-strapped backyard. The club could then try to pick up one or two quality youngsters.

That said, there are others who see other possible explanations for all this. And this afternoon, Pierre McGuire raised a new one:

Someone wanted to attack Edmonton for the way Ken Holland was treated. – Pierre McGuire

The Sick Podcast – The Eye Test | August 14 2024 https://t.co/VfJFqmQWA3

– The Sick Podcast – The Eye Test (@sickpodnhl) August 14, 2024

McGuire insists that the former Oilers GM is respected throughout the league. He’s someone who’s learned under some great leaders in the history of the league, and he’s done his homework, which has earned him a lot of respect.

He notes that no one told him this was the exact reason, but that he knows how the league works. And to see such a respected GM tamped down like this (and, more importantly, replaced by a GM who is quite controversial in Stan Bowman), it’s likely frustrated quite a few people across the league.

Jim Matheson, who covers the Oilers, is among those who believe the Blues would never have done such a thing if Holland had kept his job. Holland and Doug Armstrong are good friends, and Matheson doesn’t see how Armstrong could have done it.

Let me join the chorus. I know Blues Doug Armstrong wants to win but one of his best friends and his golf buddy is Ken Holland. I just don’t believe he would have handcuffed Holland like this with two offer sheets on Broberg and Holloway if Holland was still Oiler GM

– Jim Matheson (@jimmathesonnhl) August 14, 2024

We often talk about the fact that GMs in the NHL avoid resorting to hostile offers not only for fear of reprisals in the future (as was the case between the Habs and Hurricanes), but also out of respect for their counterparts.

And clearly, across the NHL, a great deal of respect has been lost towards the Oilers. Beyond a hockey decision, it almost seems like a personal matter.

Overtime

– Ryan Getzlaf hired by player safety department.

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– NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) August 14, 2024