Oilers RFAs speak candidly about leaving Edmonton in offer sheet process

Philip Broberg had requested a trade earlier on in the season. According to OilersNation, he wanted a move out of Edmonton to get more ice time opportunity elsewhere. When asked about his trade request and wanting to leave Edmonton, Broberg didn't deny any of it and cited that hockey is just a business at the end of the day. He thanked the Oilers and their fans for their support through his development, but seemed ready to move on.

On the other hand, Dylan Holloway seemed a bit more reserved in his media comments. Holloway expressed how much he would miss his teammates and the hardship of leaving a team on the cusp of winning, but also explained that himself and the team were very far apart in negotiations.

With the actual video put to these comments, it really adds to the story. Both RFAs may be happy to get significant pay raises and more ice time, but they're both leaving an extremely tight-knit team with a chance at a Stanley Cup, and the Oilers chose not to keep them around. Based off of their facial expressions through much of their interviews, both players look crushed to be leaving the Oilers.

Not matching either offer sheet looks to be the smartest move possible for the Oilers, although it will sting if these two develop into their full potential with the St. Louis Blues. At the end of the day, the Oilers are looking to their superstars to shed a few million off their contracts to keep the core together, and the team can't undo that work by paying unproven players multi-million dollar deals.