A wave of speculation swept through the Edmonton Oilers fan base when it was noticed that Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg were removed from the team’s internal roster on their official website . This move, ahead of the Oilers’ potential decision to match offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues, led to rumors that the team might be preparing to let both players leave.
However, this appears to be a false alarm.
Kevin McCurdy pointed out that several top restricted free agents (RFAs) from other teams—such as Jeremy Swayman, Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Matty Beniers, and Cole Perfetti—were also missing from their respective team websites. McCurdy clarified that this is likely an administrative update and not an indication of the Oilers’ plans regarding Broberg and Holloway.
The removal of Broberg and Holloway from the roster does not mean the Oilers have decided to let them walk. While the team could do so, nothing official has been announced. Edmonton’s recent trades, including moving Cody Ceci and potentially placing Evander Kane on long-term injured reserve, suggest they are creating cap space to match.
If the Oilers were making room to retain both Holloway and Broberg, the expectation is that both names would be added back to the roster on Tuesday. Fans shouldn’t jump to conclusions until the team officially announces their decision. In fact, the Oilers might have something else in the works before Tuesday morning.
The Blues or Oilers Will Announce The Decision
The St. Louis Blues were posting on social media Monday, essentially counting down the time that the Oilers had to make a choice. One can assume that when they are informed of the Oilers’ decision to match or decline and accept compensation, the Blues will share the update.
Until then, while fans were understandably concerned about the implications of Holloway and Broberg’s absence from the roster, their names not being on the roster was merely an administrative issue, not a signal of an imminent departure for the promising young players.
The Oilers are still well-positioned to decide on matching the offer sheets without the need for panic.
