With the Blues extending offer sheets to defender Philip Broberg and winger Dylan Holloway, the Oilers must now decide whether to match those offers, even if it would push them more than $7 million over the salary ceiling. While Evander Kane’s probable presence on LTIR will help in the short term, Edmonton will need to free up some cap space at some point. With multiple veterans on expensive long-term contracts who are unlikely to be traded, free agents who have recently signed, and players on low-cost contracts, there aren’t many potential possibilities to make that happen.
According to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, the Oilers are working to offload the contracts of defensemen Cody Ceci and Brett Kulak. Together, their contracts amount to a $6 million cap hit, which wouldn’t be sufficient to make the team cap-compliant once Kane returns. However, trading these two players would help the Oilers start the season compliant, especially with Kane’s $5.25 million AAV on LTIR.
Ceci has one year remaining on his $3.25 million contract. The 30-year-old has been with Edmonton for three seasons, consistently playing over 20 minutes per game in a top-four role. Last season, he contributed five goals and 20 assists in 79 games, adding five points in 22 playoff games as the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Final. Given that Ceci’s contract is expiring and he’s a right-shot defenseman without trade protection, he might be easier to move despite his slightly higher cap hit.
Kulak, meanwhile, has a $2.75 million AAV for the next two seasons. The 30-year-old was acquired from Montreal at the 2022 trade deadline and has fit in well with Edmonton’s third pairing. Last season, Kulak had three goals and 13 assists in 82 games, averaging 15:23 a night. His playing time increased somewhat in the postseason to 16:30 per game, with eight points in 25 outings. However, that price point for a third-pairing defender is on the high side, making it difficult to acquire the most value for his services. In addition, Kulak’s contract provides no trade protection.
To that end, Garrioch confirms that teams have expressed interest in both players, but it comes at a cost. However, this does not apply to the possible acquisition team. Instead, he argues that because teams are aware that the Oilers are in a bind as a result of these offer sheets, they will want compensation to be sent with the player to entice them to bail Edmonton out. According to Garrioch, the cost of acquiring a player in both cases might be a first- or second-round choice. It’s worth noting that the Oilers do not have either of those for the 2025 draft, but they have for 2026, and if they match the offer sheets, they will not receive any compensation from St. Louis.
Edmonton has seven days to decide whether to match the offers made to Broberg ($4.58 million) and Holloway ($2.29 million). There’s a fair likelihood that their ability (or inability) to negotiate a satisfactory trade for one or both of Ceci or Kulak will have a significant impact on their two young players’ selections.
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