Blues GM Has Hilarious Quote His Mother After Hosing Oilers With Free Agent Offer Sheets

I love an NHL offer sheet situation. It's a good way to get a nice hit of NHL drama in the middle of the summer, and St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong just did it by signing away a pair of restricted free agents from the Edmonton Oilers, defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway.

And he has no qualms about having done it either and said as much in hilarious fashion.

First, if you're unfamiliar with offer sheets, here's how they work. NHL teams have restricted free agents. There are a bunch of criteria a player needs to meet but they're always younger players. These players are restricted because their rights are owned exclusively by their current club, so they're not allowed to hit the free agent market like an unrestricted free agent can.

However, other clubs can send them an offer sheet, which is a contract offer. If accepted by the player, their current team can either match it or let them walk and receive compensation in the form of draft picks based on the average annual value of the offer sheet (i.e. how much the player makes per year).

Alright, go it? If you already knew that, thanks for sticking around. If you didn't, I'm glad we're on the same page now.

Anyway, both Broberg and Holloway accepted their offer sheets (which the Blues put up at the same time) and the Oilers opted not to match it.

Blues GM Doug Armstrong has no problem using every tool in his toolbox, including offer sheets. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

Doug Armstrong Doesn't Think He Broke Any Kind Of Code, Which Is Good Because He Didn't

However, some claimed that Armstrong violated an unwritten code that GMs abide by to not muddy the waters with fellow executives. Obviously, you can really hose another team with an offer sheet no matter the outcome by either making them overpay for a player or taking them entirely.

But Armstrong disagrees with the idea of a code when it comes to offer sheets.

"I’ve read what people are writing — if there is a GM code not to do offer sheets, nobody emailed it to me," he said, per Sportsnet. "This is a tool that I think everyone uses, and should use.

"You know, I think it was reported that I wouldn’t have done this to [former Oilers GM] Kenny Holland — that’s the furthest thing from the truth. Honestly, I’d do it to my mother if she was managing the Oilers."

First of all, hilarious line at the end.

Second of all, why wouldn't a GM use every tool at his disposal to make the team better? If I was an owner and my GM never even brought up potential ways that we could use offer sheets to improve the roster, I'd be wondering what the hell I'm paying him for.

Broberg and Holloway are now Blues, and it'll be interesting to see if we see any more offer sheet fun this offseason.