Be it that the Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues talked about a Pavel Buchnevich trade in March, offer sheets should come as no surprise.
“I believe that when Edmonton and St. Louis talked about Pavel Buchnevich, before the Blues kept him and eventually extended him, I think the Oilers knew that the Blues liked both players. I think that when they were talking Buchnevich, and I don’t know that it even came close to a deal, I think both Holloway and Broberg were players the Blues had asked about. At the very least, the Oilers knew the Blues had some interest.”
There were conflicting reports back in March of 2023 as to why the trade didn’t go down. Some believed Buchnevich wasn’t willing to waive his no-trade clause to join the Oilers. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli believed that Buchnevich would have been open to the deal, but others weren’t sure. By the time the deadline had rolled around, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reported, “All it takes is one phone call to change things, but the sense I’m getting is Buchnevich will remain with the Blues.”
Others wondered if the Oilers simply weren’t willing to trade Broberg and Holloway, thinking each or both had a bright future with the club. And, they might have been willing to do so for what could have been a rental.
All Of This Means Oilers Shouldn’t Have Been Surprised
If these trade rumor reports are accurate, this all means Edmonton shouldn’t have been shocked to learn that the Blues might have circled back to find another way to land these two players. Granted, at the time those trade conversations took place, Ken Holland was the GM. Perhaps new GM Stan Bowman wasn’t privy to those conversations. Certainly, one would think CEO Jeff Jackson or Assistant General Manager Keith Gretzky would have given Bowman a heads-up.
If the Oilers had to do it again, would they have pulled the trigger on the trade, knowing what they know now?
