Photo credit: The New York Times

The Edmonton Oilers motto is simple: take less money and you will be competing for a Stanley Cup every single year. This is why they didn’t match the offer sheets.

Sportsnet’s Mark Spector has provided an explanation as to why GM Stan Bowman of the Oilers is asking his players, including the superstars such as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, to shed a couple dollars off their salary. This is being done in order for the team to be able to use those savings to sign other players with the hope that they will remain consistently competitive. Bowman is refusing to over pay players who haven’t proven themselves in the league yet.

Both Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg were recently offered contracts by the Oilers that would have paid them around $1 million or so, which the team felt was the right amount based off their prior experience. The St. Louis Blues stepped in and poured gasoline all over the Oilers front office and then lit it on fire, as they more than doubled, and even tripled those amounts through the two offer sheets. The Oilers obviously didn’t match them and both players will be playing for the Blues next season, with Broberg expected to make a ridiculous $4.58 million or so.

It’s unfortunate that the Oilers lost out on two of their former first-round draft picks, but it was a good business decision by Bowman. He wants to build a team that can compete long-term, and handing out money to players without any proven consistent experience could be problematic. The future looks very good for the team.