Could Ducks Weaponize Cap Space in Blues/Oilers Offer Sheet Situation?

On Tuesday, the typically dull month of August when it comes to hockey news got a jolt of intrigue when the St. Louis Blues tendered offer sheets to a pair of Edmonton Oilers restricted free agents (RFAs), Dillon Holloway (22) and Philip Broberg (23).

If the Oilers intend to match those offer sheets and retain their young players, they will place themselves $7,225,541 over the salary cap ceiling, according to Puckpedia.

Forward Evander Kane (33) is expected to start the 2024-25 season on LTIR, buying the Oilers some time and relieving them of $5.125 million in cap space during his absence.

View the original article to see embedded media.

With Kane on LTIR and potentially having matched the pair of offer sheets, the Oilers would remain above the cap by over $2 million with 12 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders on their roster.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reported on Thursday the Oilers have been attempting to trade defensemen Cody Ceci (30) and Brett Kulak (30), but it could cost Edmonton a first or second-round pick in each scenario to move their contracts.

Kulak has two years remaining on his contract with an AAV of $2.75 million. Ceci has one year remaining at $3.25.

The Anaheim Ducks currently have over $21 million in cap space heading into the 2024-25 season with 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders on their roster. The Ducks are in an ideal position to capitalize on the situation the Oilers find themselves in.

The Benefits

By adding one of the two Oilers defensemen, the Ducks would gain valuable draft capital and/or other valuable assets. Edmonton doesn’t currently possess a first or second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, but they do for each 2026 and 2027.

Acquiring Kulak would likely return more in a trade than Ceci due to an extra year remaining on Kulak’s contract and the lesser demand for left-shot defensemen.

The Ducks are at the point in their rebuild where they’re attempting to play more competitive hockey later in the season and take strides toward contention after missing the playoffs for the past six seasons.

Opinion: Ducks Unlikely to Utilize Offer Sheets this Offseason

Kulak or Ceci would provide the young Ducks blueline with an additional veteran presence and a steady, reliable, and predictable brand of hockey. They are also rarely injured having played well over 70 games in each of the last three seasons.

Adding a player like Kulak or Ceci could alleviate pressure and elevate growth in young defensemen like Pavel Mintyukov (20), Jackson LaCombe (23), and Olen Zellweger (20) as they progress into their sophomore seasons in the NHL.

The Ducks have been among the bottom ten teams in the NHL when it comes to allowing goals over the past five seasons. Their defensive structure could benefit from adding another capable, experienced defenseman.

The Drawbacks

Though adding Ceci or Kulak’s salary wouldn’t hinder the Ducks from a financial standpoint and adding premium draft capital could prove valuable at this stage of the Ducks’ build, further adding to the Ducks’ blueline could negatively affect the development of some young defensemen.

The Ducks dealt with their fair share of growing pains in 2023-24, but appear to be nearing a step into the light at the end of the tunnel. The trio of young blueliners (Mintyukov, LaCombe, and Zellweger) gained valuable experience in their rookie seasons last year and will look to further increase their roles moving forward.

Adding another veteran to the Ducks blueline could create an unnecessary roadblock between a key piece to the team’s future and the role they’ll ultimately assume. It would likely also cause one of Mintyukov, LaCombe, or Zellweger to sit in the press box as a healthy scratch on a nightly basis.

Would the pros outweigh the cons in this scenario for the Ducks? Probably. Either way, the Blues‘ tendering of a couple of seldom-used offer sheets has greatly increased the intrigue of the NHL offseason.

The Oilers have until Aug. 20 to make their decision to match the offer sheets tendered to Broberg and Holloway or acquire the predetermined compensation.

Ducks Reveal Jersey Numbers for Five Players

Ducks forward to help Slovakia qualify for 2026 Olympics