Signing restricted free agents to offer sheets is a tactic that remains infrequently utilized among NHL general managers. Since the implementation of the salary cap two decades ago, only 12 players have signed offer sheets, with just four—Dustin Penner, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Dylan Holloway, and Philip Broberg—successfully signed away from their respective teams. The successful signings of Holloway and Broberg by the St. Louis Blues in August of the previous year sent ripples throughout the NHL, marking the first instance in the cap era where two players from the same team were signed simultaneously by another franchise.

The signing of Holloway and Broberg was achieved without extravagant offers, as the Edmonton Oilers' limited cap space allowed St. Louis to secure both players to manageable contracts. Holloway accepted a two-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $2.3 million, while Broberg signed a similar two-year contract with an AAV of $4.6 million. Historically, there has been a perception among general managers that utilizing offer sheets can disturb relationships between teams, leading to negative sentiments and potential retaliatory bidding wars. A notable example includes the failed attempt by the Montreal Canadiens to sign Sebastian Aho away from the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019, which culminated in Carolina eventually signing Kotkaniemi two years later. However, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong dismissed any notion of a unwritten 'GM code' against offer sheets.

Armstrong emphasized that the use of offer sheets is an accepted tool permitted by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), one that he believes should be employed by all teams. With the salary cap anticipated to rise to $92.4 million for the 2025-26 season, other general managers may follow Armstrong's lead in this strategy, particularly targeting teams constrained by their cap situations. For instance, players such as Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers will become restricted free agents this summer, positioning them as potential targets for offer sheets during the 2025 offseason.