The St. Louis Blues and basic supervisor Doug Armstrong took the league by storm after they signed two restricted free brokers of the Edmonton Oilers to provide sheets – ahead Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg. They signed Holloway to a two-year deal at $2.29 million per yr and Broberg at two years and $4.58 million per yr. It’s onerous to not respect Armstrong and the Blues’ entrance workplace benefiting from the weak Oilers.
The Oilers determined towards matching the 2 provide sheets and acquired a second-round decide for the Broberg deal and a third-round decide for the Holloway deal. The Blues additionally sweetened the provide by sending defenseman prospect Paul Fischer and a 2028 third-round decide to Edmonton for future issues. Let’s get into why these two additions change the membership’s expectations in 2024-25.
Broberg Suits Blues’ Defensive Unit Effectively
At 23 years outdated, it’s been an fascinating run as an NHLer for Broberg. He hasn’t fairly reached his potential after being the eighth general decide of the Oilers in 2019. Nonetheless, many would argue that he was one in every of their higher blueliners all through the run to the Stanley Cup this previous season. He was a plus-8 in 10 playoff video games in 2024. The instruments are there and I assume that’s a giant purpose why the Blues pulled the set off.
Associated: Oilers Lose Broberg & Holloway to Blues’ Provide Sheets
The thought of a Broberg and Colton Parayko pairing could be very thrilling. That alone immediately modifications the trajectory of the top-four protection in St. Louis. Whereas it may very well be seen as an overpay proper now, it’s nonetheless not as high-risk for the Blues as it will have been for the Oilers. They’re far much less cap-strapped than Edmonton and that’s a giant purpose why they discovered them to be weak. Total, I feel Broberg will show to be an awesome addition to the Blues’ protection.
Holloway Has Loads of Upside
Equally to Broberg, Holloway had a really strong playoff run with the Oilers. He appeared in all 25 playoff video games and scored 5 objectives. He additionally hasn’t confirmed a ton in the best way of regular-season manufacturing, however he’s solely 22 years outdated and has a great deal of upside. Head coach Drew Bannister did a strong job with younger Blues final season after taking up for Craig Berube in December.
He was picked 14th general by the Oilers within the 2020 Draft. I imagine he has 20-goal potential and will get close to that in both of his two seasons with the Blues. He’ll match effectively into the center six and may even play second-line minutes if the membership goes with Pavel Buchnevich at heart to start out the season. He’s able to take the subsequent step and may get there with extra ice time in St. Louis.
Blues Lineup Will Be Stronger in 2024-25
The Blues have definitely improved their lineup for 2024-25 with the additions of Holloway, Radek Faksa, Mathieu Joseph, Broberg, Ryan Suter, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Whereas they’re all principally depth additions, they’re higher than what the membership had final season and it’s robust to argue towards that. It bolsters the lineup in a number of necessary areas, together with ahead depth, scoring, and higher defensive defensemen.
I feel Armstrong has accomplished a very good job this summer time with out sacrificing the youth motion or the potential of making the playoffs. The present roster must be within the combine for a Wild Card spot all season and may very well be close to the highest three of the Central Division. Both approach, the 2024-25 season has gotten extra fascinating, particularly in St. Louis.
