On Tuesday, the usually dull month of August in terms of hockey news was rocked by a surprise when the St. Louis Blues extended tenders to two restricted free agents (RFAs) from the Edmonton Oilers, Dylan Holloway (22) and Philip Broberg (23).
If the Oilers plan to match the offer and retain their young players, they will be $7,225,541 over the salary cap, according to Puckpedia.
Forward Evander Kane (33) is expected to start the 2024-25 season on LTIR, giving the Oilers some time and causing them to lose $5.125 million in salary cap space in his absence.
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With Kane on the LTIR and potentially matching the two offers, the Oilers would remain more than $2 million over the salary cap with 12 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies on their roster.
The Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch reported Thursday that the Oilers have attempted to trade defensemen Cody Ceci (30) and Brett Kulak (30), but that in either scenario it could cost Edmonton a first- or second-round pick to move their contracts.
Kulak has two years left on his contract at an AAV of $2.75 million. Ceci has one year left at $3.25.
The Anaheim Ducks currently have over $21 million in cap space for the 2024-25 season with 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies on their roster. The Ducks are ideally positioned to take advantage of the Oilers’ situation.
The benefits
Adding either of the two Oilers defensemen would give the Ducks valuable draft capital and/or other valuable assets. Edmonton currently does not have a first- or second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, but does have picks in 2026 and 2027.
Acquiring Kulak would likely be more profitable than acquiring Ceci, as Kulak has an extra year on his contract and there is less demand for left-handed defensemen.
The Ducks are at a point in their rebuild where they are looking to become more competitive later in the season and make strides toward the playoffs after missing the playoffs the past six seasons.
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Kulak or Ceci would provide the young Ducks blueline with an additional veteran presence and a steady, reliable and predictable style of hockey. They are also rarely injured, having played over 70 games over the past three seasons.
Adding a player like Kulak or Ceci could ease the pressure and help the growth of young defensemen like Pavel Mintyukov (20), Jackson LaCombe (23) and Olen Zellweger (20) as they enter their second seasons in the NHL.
The Ducks have ranked among the bottom 10 teams in the NHL in goals allowed over the past five seasons, and their defensive structure could benefit from adding another capable, experienced defenseman.
The disadvantages
While adding Ceci or Kulak’s salaries wouldn’t hurt the Ducks financially and adding additional draft capital could prove valuable at this stage of the Ducks’ rebuild, further expanding the Ducks’ defensive line could negatively impact the development of some of their young defensemen.
The Ducks have faced their fair share of growing pains in 2023-24, but appear to be taking a step toward the light at the end of the tunnel. The trio of young defensemen (Mintyukov, LaCombe and Zellweger) gained valuable experience in their rookie seasons last year and will look to expand their roles going forward.
Adding another veteran to the Ducks blueline could create an unnecessary roadblock between a key part of the team’s future and the role they’ll ultimately assume. It would also likely leave Mintyukov, LaCombe, or Zellweger in the press box as a healthy scratch every night.
Would the pros outweigh the cons in this scenario for the Ducks? Probably. Either way, the Blues’ offering of a pair of rarely used offer sheets has added a lot of intrigue to the NHL season.
The Oilers have until August 20 to decide whether to match Broberg and Holloway’s offer or receive the pre-determined compensation.
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