How the Edmonton Oilers can match Broberg and Holloway's offer sheets and become cap compliant

Recent moves by the team have added complexity to the situation. Now, they have less than 24 hours to decide what to do with Broberg and Holloway.

Here are their options:

Accept Compensation for Both
This is the least likely scenario. Most fans and analysts would be surprised if the Oilers chose this path, especially after Sunday's trades, which seemed to create cap space by moving Cody Ceci.

Match Both Holloway & Broberg
Matching both offer sheets is becoming more likely, especially after the recent trades. If the Oilers go this route, they won't need to do much to become cap compliant. They could place Evander Kane on LTIR and send a player with a salary of $850,000 or more to the minors. Once Kane is healthy, another trade would be necessary to stay under the cap.

Match Broberg, Accept Compensation for Holloway
The Oilers could match Broberg's offer sheet and take compensation for Holloway. This would suggest the team values a potential top-four defenseman over a top-nine forward. Holloway would likely get top-six minutes with the St. Louis Blues, boosting his value for a future pay raise.

Match Holloway, Accept Compensation for Broberg
The Oilers could match Holloway's offer sheet and accept a second-round pick for Broberg. However, a second-round pick is a low return for a top-10 draft pick with top-four potential. Holloway has a cheaper contract, making his cap hit easier to manage. With the addition of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, Holloway's chances of staying in the top six are slim, meaning he may play in the bottom six.

Regardless of the decision, the Oilers will face a ripple effect. With time running out, they must make their choice soon.

Credit: The Hockey News
Oilers' Running Out of Time For Big Decision