In the NHL, offer sheets are quite uncommon. Though few are ever really forced to deal with them, each team that has restricted free agents (RFAs) is at risk of having them. Many people think that there’s an unspoken rule among general managers (GMs) to stay away from them. In the past, GMs have become enmity-filled with the odd ones who manage to get signed.
However, it appears that the St. Louis Blues don’t mind because on Tuesday, August 13, they decided to sign Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, two RFAs from the Edmonton Oilers, to two-year contracts. The Oilers’ management has until Tuesday, August 20, to respond to the offers. Should they fail to do so, they will be awarded a Broberg second-round selection and a Holloway third-round selection. For the Oilers, those returns would be incredibly disappointing, but for the Blues, they would be well worth it because both guys seem to have a great NHL future.
Though it’s still early, these new Blues additions may cause other general managers in the league to think about putting up offer sheets of their own. Although most free agents have already been signed by their teams, there is one on the Toronto Maple Leafs that is available and might be willing to play for another team.
Robertson Seeking for a Scene Change
Reports circulated shortly after the 2023–24 season ended claiming that Nick Robertson had asked to be traded out of Toronto. Despite having an absurdly high skill level, the 2019 second-round pick has not yet been given a meaningful opportunity with the Maple Leafs team.
Robertson has a bright future in the NHL, and the Maple Leafs don’t seem to be too keen on trading him. GM Brad Treliving even made an effort to convey to the media that he will be getting far more opportunities in the future. That might be the case with Craig Berube as the new head coach, but until that happens, it’s safe to assume Robertson won’t be sticking around for long.
There are a lot of teams in the league who ought to give Robertson an offer sheet, especially those that are rebuilding and have a lot of cap space. With 87 career games played, he has 17 goals and 34 points, just 12 days older than Holloway. Holloway received an offer of a two-year contract with a
Given that Robertson asked for a trade, it appears likely that he is willing to accept any offer sheet that is presented to him. It doesn’t seem likely that you’ll have the chance to play in a top-six position in Toronto with guys like Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Matthew Knies, and Max Domi. playing a smaller part in the power struggle.
Many rebuilding teams across the league, who could give Robertson both of those chances to demonstrate his abilities as a scoring forward in the NHL, wouldn’t have to. Although there’s a chance he won’t work out, in this case the benefits greatly outweigh the risks.
The Maple Leafs’ predicament is far from ideal, even though they don’t have as much cap trouble as the Oilers. They have approximately $875,000 in cap space, so if Robertson signed an offer sheet, Treliving would have to alter his roster to accommodate him.
Maple Leafs Must Take Quick Action
Robertson has demonstrated his outstanding offensive skills during his tenure in the American Hockey League (AHL) and his outstanding junior hockey career. Nor are his 14 goals and 27 points from 56 games in a small NHL role from the previous season bad.
Robertson is a strong prospect to sign an offer sheet soon, even though no one has taken anything as of yet. Treliving will have to work hard to persuade the young forward to sign an extension because it appears that the Maple Leafs want to retain him around. If not, there may be issues for the organization.
