Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman feels the contracts Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway signed with the St. Louis Blues far exceed their current ability.
"The players can probably grow into those deals, but as of today, they're way above their actual performance," Bowman told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
The Oilers lost Broberg and Holloway to offer sheets by the St. Louis Blues in August. Broberg inked a two-year contract with a $4.58-million average annual value, while Holloway signed a two-year pact at a $2.29-million cap hit.
Broberg, 23, primarily played in the AHL last season. The 6-foot-4 defenseman registered 38 points in 49 games with the Bakersfield Condors. He played 12 regular-season contests with the Oilers and broke into Edmonton's lineup in the postseason, recording two goals and three points in 10 playoff games. Broberg was drafted eighth overall by the Oilers in 2019.
Holloway, 22, scored six goals and nine points in 38 NHL games last season, plus 10 goals and 16 points in 18 AHL contests. He registered five goals and seven points in the playoffs as he played in all 25 of Edmonton's postseason games. The University of Wisconsin product was drafted 14th overall by the Oilers in 2020.
"The way it's being portrayed is also a little bit unfair, that the Oilers were doing some sort of poor-faith negotiating," Bowman said. "If you look at (Broberg and Holloway), based on their performance, there's lots of comparable players that have signed this summer and (in) recent years."
Bowman, who matched an attempted offer sheet to Niklas Hjalmarsson while with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, admitted the mechanism could be utilized more regularly by NHL general managers.
"It doesn't happen more often," Bowman said. "I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. I guess you could make the argument this should happen more."