Oilers Lament: Have They Recovered From August 2024 Disaster?

[TBone]

'They probably should have been signed': Have Oilers recovered from August '24 disaster?

By David Staples
Edmonton Journal
August 02, 2025

This in from former NHL GM and player agent Brian Lawton, his assessment of the August 2024 that saw the Edmonton Oilers lose Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to the St. Louis Blues for pennies on the dollar, a transaction that may well have cost the Oilers the Stanley Cup this season.

“There’s no doubt he welcomed the offer sheet,” said Lawton in regards to Broberg, speakng with John Shannon and Darren Millard on the 100% Hockey podcast. “It wasn’t working out. That was a very tough, difficult situation for everyone involved. Ultimately, I would say that both those players, they probably should have been signed… You give them a little more and you lock them up. That didn’t happen. I wasn’t there, so I can’t say why.”

Lawton said he was impressed with Broberg in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. “There was a lot of controversy. I watched every game of that Finals. He played very well, but his analytics weren’t great in some areas. So people kept saying it was like he was lucky. And if you really watched that series, you wouldn’t conclude he was lucky. He’s a big kid that can skate… And that’s what he really proved in St. Louis. And that’s why that’s worked out so well for St. Louis. Tough to find Top 4 D in the NHL. Really tough.”

https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hock ... ip-broberg

[Old_Goat]

'They probably should have been signed': Have Oilers recovered from August '24 disaster?

By David Staples
Edmonton Journal
August 02, 2025

This in from former NHL GM and player agent Brian Lawton, his assessment of the August 2024 that saw the Edmonton Oilers lose Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to the St. Louis Blues for pennies on the dollar, a transaction that may well have cost the Oilers the Stanley Cup this season.

“There’s no doubt he welcomed the offer sheet,” said Lawton in regards to Broberg, speakng with John Shannon and Darren Millard on the 100% Hockey podcast. “It wasn’t working out. That was a very tough, difficult situation for everyone involved. Ultimately, I would say that both those players, they probably should have been signed… You give them a little more and you lock them up. That didn’t happen. I wasn’t there, so I can’t say why.”

Lawton said he was impressed with Broberg in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. “There was a lot of controversy. I watched every game of that Finals. He played very well, but his analytics weren’t great in some areas. So people kept saying it was like he was lucky. And if you really watched that series, you wouldn’t conclude he was lucky. He’s a big kid that can skate… And that’s what he really proved in St. Louis. And that’s why that’s worked out so well for St. Louis. Tough to find Top 4 D in the NHL. Really tough.”

https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hock ... ip-broberg

Good article, good post. I watched every game of that final too. Analytics schmanalytics...he passed the eye test very well. A lot of really good & great defensemen having long careers filled with accolades didn't just get there overnight.

[Backesdraft]

It’s been said on this forum multiple times before, but Chopper nailed it when he said that dmen take longer to mature in the NHL than forwards. Broberg played really well last year and I suspect he’ll play even better this upcoming season. I don’t think we’ve even seen peak Broberg yet and that’s really exciting for Blues fans and it’s going to continue to be frustrating for Oilers fans (like when we had to watch Stevens become a monster in NJ). And no I’m not comparing the players, only the frustrations of those situations.

The Holloway thing still really confuses me though. How Oilers brass let him get away is one that those fans should be really upset about. Just absolutely ridiculous asset management.

[DawgDad]

'They probably should have been signed': Have Oilers recovered from August '24 disaster?

By David Staples
Edmonton Journal
August 02, 2025

This in from former NHL GM and player agent Brian Lawton, his assessment of the August 2024 that saw the Edmonton Oilers lose Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to the St. Louis Blues for pennies on the dollar, a transaction that may well have cost the Oilers the Stanley Cup this season.

“There’s no doubt he welcomed the offer sheet,” said Lawton in regards to Broberg, speakng with John Shannon and Darren Millard on the 100% Hockey podcast. “It wasn’t working out. That was a very tough, difficult situation for everyone involved. Ultimately, I would say that both those players, they probably should have been signed… You give them a little more and you lock them up. That didn’t happen. I wasn’t there, so I can’t say why.”

Lawton said he was impressed with Broberg in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. “There was a lot of controversy. I watched every game of that Finals. He played very well, but his analytics weren’t great in some areas. So people kept saying it was like he was lucky. And if you really watched that series, you wouldn’t conclude he was lucky. He’s a big kid that can skate… And that’s what he really proved in St. Louis. And that’s why that’s worked out so well for St. Louis. Tough to find Top 4 D in the NHL. Really tough.”

https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hock ... ip-broberg

Good article, good post. I watched every game of that final too. Analytics schmanalytics...he passed the eye test very well. A lot of really good & great defensemen having long careers filled with accolades didn't just get there overnight.

A healthy Holloway and the Blues likely win that series and move on.

Walman plugged the hole for them but it's almost indisputable they signed one too many free agents and would be in a much better roster position with Broberg and Holloway. But do I care? NO! LOL!

The Oilers were a team fighting for a Cup that screwed up their front office GM situation right when critical decisions and deals needed to be made. That's laughable self-destructive stupidity at the top, in spades. They were so pathetic it was easy to root for the Florida Goon Squad and Brad Marchand!

[DawgDad]

One other thing, what kind of goaltending might they have landed for, say, up to Holloway and a 1st with adequate cap space to take on a veteran?

[dhsux]

If they had done the unthinkable...and signed Holloway and Broberg last summer instead of signing their FA's that took the cap money......they may have won the Cup and they would certainly be in far greater shape today than they are now.

As it worked out... a huge bump for St Louis.

[Blues Dave]

Don't get much truer than that. Thanks TBone.

[BalotelliMassive]

They would've lost in the cup final even if they had McKinnon and Makar.

[seattleblue]

It’s been said on this forum multiple times before, but Chopper nailed it when he said that dmen take longer to mature in the NHL than forwards. Broberg played really well last year and I suspect he’ll play even better this upcoming season. I don’t think we’ve even seen peak Broberg yet and that’s really exciting for Blues fans and it’s going to continue to be frustrating for Oilers fans (like when we had to watch Stevens become a monster in NJ). And no I’m not comparing the players, only the frustrations of those situations.

The Holloway thing still really confuses me though. How Oilers brass let him get away is one that those fans should be really upset about. Just absolutely ridiculous asset management.

Do you realize that Scott Stevens had played over 600 games in eight full seasons even before he got to the Blues? In no way shape or form did we watch this player become a monster elsewhere. He was on the Blues one season and they went from 81 to 106 pts in a world with no loser points. He was immediately awesome. It's more than the players were nothing alike, the situations were nothing alike either. Stevens was a star before he arrived.

[Backesdraft]

It’s been said on this forum multiple times before, but Chopper nailed it when he said that dmen take longer to mature in the NHL than forwards. Broberg played really well last year and I suspect he’ll play even better this upcoming season. I don’t think we’ve even seen peak Broberg yet and that’s really exciting for Blues fans and it’s going to continue to be frustrating for Oilers fans (like when we had to watch Stevens become a monster in NJ). And no I’m not comparing the players, only the frustrations of those situations.

The Holloway thing still really confuses me though. How Oilers brass let him get away is one that those fans should be really upset about. Just absolutely ridiculous asset management.

Do you realize that Scott Stevens had played over 600 games in eight full seasons even before he got to the Blues? In no way shape or form did we watch this player become a monster elsewhere. He was on the Blues one season and they went from 81 to 106 pts in a world with no loser points. He was immediately awesome. It's more than the players were nothing alike, the situations were nothing alike either. Stevens was a star before he arrived.

Way to put me in my place. Consider me schooled. How will I ever recover? Ya (bleep).

If you’re going to tell me, without trolling, that the situations aren’t similar because of games played then you either don’t watch hockey or watch hockey but don’t grasp the game. Also, if your assessment is that Stevens on the Blues was the same player as Stevens on NJ then again, I have to wonder if you watched hockey during that era.

Sleep well a-hole.

[seattleblue]

It’s been said on this forum multiple times before, but Chopper nailed it when he said that dmen take longer to mature in the NHL than forwards. Broberg played really well last year and I suspect he’ll play even better this upcoming season. I don’t think we’ve even seen peak Broberg yet and that’s really exciting for Blues fans and it’s going to continue to be frustrating for Oilers fans (like when we had to watch Stevens become a monster in NJ). And no I’m not comparing the players, only the frustrations of those situations.

The Holloway thing still really confuses me though. How Oilers brass let him get away is one that those fans should be really upset about. Just absolutely ridiculous asset management.

Do you realize that Scott Stevens had played over 600 games in eight full seasons even before he got to the Blues? In no way shape or form did we watch this player become a monster elsewhere. He was on the Blues one season and they went from 81 to 106 pts in a world with no loser points. He was immediately awesome. It's more than the players were nothing alike, the situations were nothing alike either. Stevens was a star before he arrived.

Way to put me in my place. Consider me schooled. How will I ever recover? Ya (bleep).

If you’re going to tell me, without trolling, that the situations aren’t similar because of games played then you either don’t watch hockey or watch hockey but don’t grasp the game. Also, if your assessment is that Stevens on the Blues was the same player as Stevens on NJ then again, I have to wonder if you watched hockey during that era.

Sleep well a-hole.

You compared a prospect to a 600+ game star #1 defenseman, who required us to forfeit FIVE first round picks.

It was a genuinely terrible comparison and I just asked you if you had realized that about Stevens because if you had realized it and still made the analogy holy mother of god you are [fork]ing dumb then.

Maybe you're a simpleton?

[Lloyd Braun]

It’s been said on this forum multiple times before, but Chopper nailed it when he said that dmen take longer to mature in the NHL than forwards. Broberg played really well last year and I suspect he’ll play even better this upcoming season. I don’t think we’ve even seen peak Broberg yet and that’s really exciting for Blues fans and it’s going to continue to be frustrating for Oilers fans (like when we had to watch Stevens become a monster in NJ). And no I’m not comparing the players, only the frustrations of those situations.

The Holloway thing still really confuses me though. How Oilers brass let him get away is one that those fans should be really upset about. Just absolutely ridiculous asset management.

Do you realize that Scott Stevens had played over 600 games in eight full seasons even before he got to the Blues? In no way shape or form did we watch this player become a monster elsewhere. He was on the Blues one season and they went from 81 to 106 pts in a world with no loser points. He was immediately awesome. It's more than the players were nothing alike, the situations were nothing alike either. Stevens was a star before he arrived.

Way to put me in my place. Consider me schooled. How will I ever recover? Ya (bleep).

If you’re going to tell me, without trolling, that the situations aren’t similar because of games played then you either don’t watch hockey or watch hockey but don’t grasp the game. Also, if your assessment is that Stevens on the Blues was the same player as Stevens on NJ then again, I have to wonder if you watched hockey during that era.

Sleep well a-hole.

I think Stevens was the same player on the Devils, that he was on the Blues and Capitals, because he came into the league and established himself as a top 5 overall defensemen in his rookie year and it never ceased. Afterall, we did make him one of the top 5 paid players in hockey with that 1990 contract.

However, you did say originally you weren't comparing the players, only the frustration of watching Stevens become a monster.

And, in that, I agree. While he was technically a monster here and in Washington, the legend of Scott Stevens only became prominent when a national audience got to see him more regularly, which was in the playoffs with New Jersey when the NHL finally had a proper national TV contract.

It sure ate me up.

But it might be worse for Edmonton. Cause we got Shanahan, who scored 50 goals and had his career years with us. He was probably the best power forward in the league and a hall of famer. Fans overwhelmingly loved him, and then it led to Pronger, who may have even been better than Stevens.

[moose-and-squirrel]

the offer sheet gripe thread is alive and well on the EDM HFboard lol

[theograce]

Returning to a cup final doesn’t sound like a disaster

[a smell of green grass]

It’s funny to ponder how screwed the Oilers are without Holloway and Broberg—until you look at your own backyard. The Oilers made it to the Finals without them. How screwed woukd St Louus be?!! We alteady had one of the okdest defenses with Broberg.

[theograce]

It’s funny to ponder how screwed the Oilers are without Holloway and Broberg—until you look at your own backyard. The Oilers made it to the Finals without them. How screwed woukd St Louus be?!! We alteady had one of the okdest defenses with Broberg.

Suter skewed that number. Nobody is over the hill back there