Every star has to start somewhere in the NHL and have a breakout. This isn’t to say that I’m already labeling Dylan Holloway a future star, but he has the potential. This season can see some of that potential reached if he gets a shot higher up in the lineup.
I and many others really thought that the Edmonton Oilers had a young player who would make an immediate impact when Holloway played great in preseason and earned himself a spot on the second line in 2022-23. But the reality of the NHL hit him hard. Although, I don’t agree with the immediate demotion down the lineup and failure to get another chance that high since the rookie didn’t sulk and worked through it.
On a team like the Oilers, who are Stanley Cup contenders and have been starving for four consistent top-six wingers, there isn’t much room for error anymore. I believe they have finally learned their lesson by giving players too many chances when they continue to disappoint. Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto are two recent examples. Holloway is a different story, though. Unlike the two players I mentioned, he has played just 51 games in the NHL and hasn’t gotten nearly the opportunity to prove himself yet. Averaging just 9:35 of ice time per game, Oilers’ insider Bob Stauffer lists him as a top-nine forward at the very least this season.
Due to Holloway’s combination of speed, skill, and physicality, he shows on every shift, the third line wing would be a great starting place for him. Top prospects don’t thrive on the fourth line, and on a team like Edmonton, it feels like they are being buried because the top two lines play a ton, taking that ice time away from the fourth line. The finishing ability might not have been there just yet in the NHL, partly due to playing such a small amount per game and with less skilled players, but it wasn’t for a lack of chances. There’s good reason to believe the Oilers have a good one in Holloway, and he can be a surprise hit this season for the team.
Holloway’s Potential Impact in the Lineup
To start the season, barring any untimely injuries, the Oilers’ top-six is set. The third line, not so much. Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele should be locks for the third line, but after that, it will be a battle. Last preseason, Holloway proved that he not only belonged in the NHL, but in the top six. If he plays like that again, I think he has a very good shot at taking that third spot on the third line and open the season playing with some better players than he ended last season playing beside.
McLeod has breakout potential this season, a little more than Holloway, in my eyes. But that doesn’t mean Holloway can’t double his offensive production in year two or even push past it. On the other wing, Foegele played a very good series against the Vegas Golden Knights, convincing the Oilers that he needed to be kept around. These two can easily score 10-plus goals and 20-plus points, are fast and physical. This has the potential to be an impactful line all over the ice.
Now, while I strongly believe that Holloway should and will earn a third-line role for the majority of the season, can he climb higher? He surely can. He proved as much throughout the preseason in 2022, even though it was just preseason. By the end of preseason, most of the teams have a full NHL lineup, so Holloway was competing against the competition he would during the regular season. Two early slip-ups in the first game of the regular season destroyed his chances of showing us more. So will Holloway get a top-six role? To begin the season, no. Not with the addition of Connor Brown. But if Holloway shows that he fits in on the third line, it will either be him or Foegele getting the move up if there’s a need for it. Foegele has played his best in a third-line role, and more is expected of Holloway in his career, so I think we see him in more than a few games in the top-six this season.
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Wherever Holloway plays, he adds the three elements I noted (speed, skill, physicality) that any coach and team look for. The Oilers need to see progress from him this season, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he will show a lot of improvement and be a piece of the winning team they have put together.
