Former GM and player agent Brian Lawton said Stan Bowman losing Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to offer sheets last summer may have cost them the Cup.
Former NHL GM and player agent Brian Lawton recently weighed in on the August 2024 situation that sent Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the Edmonton Oilers to the St. Louis Blues, via offer sheet, a move many now view as a major blunder that may have cost Edmonton the Stanley Cup.
'There's no doubt he welcomed the offer sheet,' said Lawton in regards to Broberg, speaking 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.'- Brian Lawton
Brian Lawton praised Philip Broberg's performance in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, noting the young defenceman had earned a spot in the Oilers' top four at the time.
Dylan Holloway, meanwhile, emerged as one of the league's top power forwards, racking up a whopping 63 points before missing the playoffs due to injury.
The Oilers, in return, received only a second and third-round pick as compensation, which was a steep underpayment by most accounts. Even in 2023, before their breakout seasons, Broberg and Holloway were worth significantly more than that.
Fans Also Blame Ken Holland for Not Signing the Two Players in 2023
Fans place blame on former GM Ken Holland for failing to sign either player during the 2023-24 season, and then, when interim GM Jeff Jackson took over, he also came under fire for putting the Oilers in a cap crunch by signing high-priced veterans like Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, and Adam Henrique in July 2024.
Had Jackson passed on even just one of those deals, Edmonton might have had the space to match at least one of the offer sheets and contend a lot better in the Finals.
The absence of Holloway was felt deeply in the recent 2025 Stanley Cup Final loss to Florida.
Likewise, Broberg's departure left a hole on defence, as Darnell Nurse never found the same chemistry in 2025 that he had with Broberg during the season prior.
At the end of the day, you can't help but feel that everything would have changed had Edmonton found a way to keep at least one of Broger or Holloway.
