The Edmonton Oilers have started the season with a 1-3 record after four games. Unfortunately, in at least two of these games, they’ve been outworked by teams that didn’t qualify for the playoffs last season, but on the positive side, the team still has 78 games left to play.
Another positive early in the season is the play of forward Dylan Holloway, who has yet to record a point, but his progress is trending upwards, and the former first-round draft pick has been one of the team’s most consistent forwards.
He’s playing solid on the third line with centerman Ryan McLeod and Connor Brown on the right side. Still, head coach Jay Woodcroft has already mixed up his lines early in the season and if the team continues to show inconsistent efforts, I wouldn’t be surprised if Holloway, who has consistently brought his A-game, gets a promotion to the top six.
Former Oiler Has High Praise for Holloway
Holloway’s first NHL season in 2022-23 was a tough one, dealing with injuries, rookie mistakes, and consistency issues and registering only nine points. Yet, even though he hasn’t recorded a point early this season, he looks like a much more mature and confident player on the ice.
Former NHL player and now hockey analyst Luke Gazdic was on the “Edmonton Sports Talk” show recently and spoke highly of the forward’s play, saying:
“What I like about [Holloway] is he seems to create offence every time he gets on the ice or has the puck. His speed is the first thing you notice, he just absolutely rips up and down the ice on that left side, he’s hungry on the puck, and I like that, he creates turnovers, he’s great on takeaways too.”
– Luke Gazdic
Holloway ranks among the top five in many 5-on-5 categories on the team through the Oilers’ four games. According to Natural Stat Trick, he has a 60.26 Corsi (CF%), 54.76 shots for percentage (SF%), 59.88 expected goals for percentage (xGF%), and a 61.54 scoring chances for percentage (SCF%). Moreover, he has a whopping 71.43 high-danger-chances for percentage (HDCF%), which ranks first in forwards on the team. That said, the data hints that the young forward could be poised for an offensive outburst.
Holloway Is Playing a More Confident Game by the Eye-Test
Holloway is blessed with size and speed, and he’s been one of the hardest-working Oilers since the season started against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 11. Late in that game, with the Canucks up 7-1 at the time, Holloway sacrificed his body blocking a Tyler Myers’ slapshot. There was a brief concern about the well-being of the Oilers’ forward, but thankfully, he wasn’t injured.
Related: 3 Predictions for Oilers’ Dylan Holloway in 2023-24
On that note, it might not have been the ideal moment to block a shot with the game so far out of reach, but it was a chance to showcase his commitment level to his coaches and teammates, that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to not only stay in the lineup but possibly earn more ice time.
Fast forward to the game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 19, on a rare occasion that the Oilers’ top dogs, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl appeared to have an off night, it was Holloway who was likely the Oilers’ most consistent forward throughout the game.
Holloway threw his body around early, knocking down a Flyer in the first period, and he and his linemates were buzzing early with scoring chances. He also had an excellent chance midway through the third period near the Flyers’ net, where he showed poise to fake the shot, adjusted the angle, and fired the puck on net, which appeared to hit the post.
Also, he exhibited his more mature on-ice demeanour early in the game. The Oilers were hemmed in their zone and the Flyers were applying pressure, and when the puck was centered, Holloway didn’t panic (something he might’ve done last season) and instead, calmly batted the puck down, which gave the Oilers possession, enabling them to skate the puck out of danger.
To add to that, it seems like Woodcroft is starting to trust Holloway more, as the youngster played more minutes on the penalty kill than usual, playing 1:25 shorthanded against the Flyers, whereas he only played 19 seconds on the PK the two previous games combined.
Could Holloway Take Kane’s Spot in the Top 6?
After four games, Holloway ranks second in hits for the Oilers with 10, trailing only Evander Kane, who has 14. Speaking of Kane, who only has a single assist on the season, he had chances against the Flyers on Oct. 19 and was credited with five shots on net, meaning, the effort level is there.
However, if he continues to not deliver on the scoresheet and if Edmonton continues their lacklustre efforts in the next string of games, Woodcroft, who has already taken out the blender early this season, may not have a choice and may be forced to demote Kane and bring up Holloway to the top six to shake things up.
But for now, Holloway and his current linemates on the third line, McLeod and Brown, are pushing the pace and creating chances, as the trio combined for three high-danger scoring chances against the Flyers. Yet, if the Oilers’ inconsistent play persists in the coming games, it might be worth exploring what Holloway could do with higher-skilled linemates.
Does Dylan Holloway deserve a shot in the top six? Have your say in the comments below!