Edmonton Oilers being extorted by team after Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway offer sheets

Earlier this week the Edmonton Oilers were caught off guard when Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg signed contracts with the St. Louis Blues. The deals came as a surprise as both Holloway and Broberg were in negotiations with the Oilers at the time. The deals however were so substantial that neither player could turn down the deals.

The Oilers now have seven days to decide whether or not they'll match this offer. Given the value of the deals offered the Oilers are only entitled to a 2nd and 3rd picks as compensation. This makes the process all that much more complicated for Edmonton.

As part of the process the Oilers are looking to clear salary cap space and are currently shopping Cody Ceci and Brett Kulak. The Oilers had previously received offers for Ceci, but had elected not to trade the defender. Now, they may not have a choice. To make the process more complicated, the teams who were previously offering assets, are now looking to extort the Oilers for a significant asset.

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, teams are now expecting the Oilers attach a 1st or 2nd round pick in exchange for taking on Kulak or Ceci.

According to Puck Pedia, Cody Ceci has a current cap hit of $3,250,000 and Kulak has a $2,750,000 cap hit. While Ceci is in the final year of his contract, Kulak has two years remaining on his current deal.

It will be interesting to see how the Oilers navigate this situation, but time is quickly running out and their options are becoming more limited by the day.