The St. Louis Blues will open their regular season on Oct. 8, against the Seattle Kraken, and they have already made their first cuts of the preseason to prepare for it. They have had some great players stand out, showing why they deserve a roster spot, especially Dylan Holloway, who has made a great impression in his first training camp since signing an offer sheet extended by the Blues this summer. He will make a significant impact on the team this season in several ways.
Holloway Putting Points on the Board
In his three preseason games, Holloway has scored three goals. His first was on Sept. 22 against the Utah Hockey Club. He also scored two on Sept. 28 against the Chicago Blackhawks, including the overtime winner. This is an excellent start for a player who only put up nine points in 51 games in his first season (2022-23) and nine points in 38 games last season.
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If Holloway can keep up his excellent point production, it will be thanks to the team’s other additions, Radek Faksa and Mathieu Joseph. The trio made for a solid line against the Blackhawks. Holloway was paired for the first time with Faksa and Joseph in the game against the Blackhawks on Sept. 28, in which Mathieu and his brother Pierre-Olivier both earned an assist on Holloway’s first goal.
So far, when Holloway has been in the lineup, the Blues have a record of 2-1, a big difference compared to when he is not playing, which is 0-3. On top of that, they have scored a total of eight goals compared to the combined two goals in the three games he was not in the lineup during the preseason. Expect him to have a big offensive impact this season, including on the power play – he scored the Blues’ first goal on the power play against Utah.
The Right Line Combination for Holloway
As mentioned before, throughout the preseason, Holloway has found great chemistry with Faksa and Joseph. If he keeps it up, this should beg the question of whether or not Blues head coach Drew Bannister should roll with this line combination when the season begins.
On the power play, Holloway has clicked well with Brayden Schenn, Zachary Bolduc, and Brandon Saad – Schenn earned an assist on Holloway’s power-play goal against Utah.
I expect to see Holloway in the top nine this season. Interestingly enough, Bannister opted to move him up to the first line with Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou on Oct. 3 against the Dallas Stars for the Blues’ last game of the preseason, in which Holloway did not score. However, that line was the one that got the overtime-winning goal, and it seems like anywhere the Blues put Holloway, that line plays better as Thomas had one point before that game, and Kyrou had zero.
Holloway is 23, so veterans like Schenn, Saad, and Faksa should help him grow his game.
Schenn will be a great partner for Holloway on the power play. Both are solid two-way players. After a tough first season as captain for Schenn in 2023-24, pairing with Holloway right now could be good for him as he can provide some wisdom for Holloway’s two-way style of play and significantly contribute to a bounce-back season.
Where Do the Blues Go From Here?
So far, the Blues made the right decision by signing Holloway this offseason. They have a solid two-way player who has adapted quite well to their offensive system, and he’s been quick on every play, showing that he brings a lot of speed to their lineup. Last season, his top speed was 22.82 mph, slightly above the league average by position of 22.10 mph.
Holloway should be a key piece of the Blues’ offensive lineup, and he’s proven that he wants to show what he can do. He’s already been predicted to be a big difference maker on the Blues, along with his fellow offer sheet acquisition, defenseman Philip Broberg. Hopefully, with more room to grow himself on a team that desperately needs offense, this can be a fresh start for Holloway to put the poor performance of his past with the Oilers behind him and produce double digits in the points category.
