Oilers forward Dylan Holloway has been cleared to return but he won’t be suiting up in Edmonton for the time being. The team announced that Holloway has been activated off LTIR but he has been assigned to AHL Bakersfield.
The 22-year-old has been limited to just 14 games this season after suffering a knee injury in mid-November. Holloway has also dealt with wrist and shoulder injuries in the past which have certainly slowed down his development.
While in Edmonton’s lineup this season, Holloway struggled offensively as he tallied just one goal while averaging a little over 11 minutes a night. That ATOI is actually an improvement on a year ago when he averaged just 9:35 per contest while notching just nine points in 51 games. For someone who was a first-round pick back in 2020 (14th overall) and was an impactful scorer at Wisconsin, the lack of production has to be some cause for concern.
With that in mind, a stint with the Condors certainly makes some sense. It would allow Holloway to get his skating legs back under him while also playing much higher up the lineup than he would have had he remained with Edmonton. It could also give him an opportunity to play his natural center position after primarily playing on the wing with the Oilers. From a long-term development standpoint, Holloway contributing as a middleman would be a nice outcome for Edmonton but one that they’ll need to be patient for with how much time he has missed already.
Worth noting from a salary cap perspective is that this transaction takes Edmonton out of using LTIR altogether. Accordingly, they’re now in a position to try to bank at least a little bit of cap space between now and the trade deadline, barring further injuries throwing a wrinkle into those plans. If that cap space isn’t used, it would reduce the amount of the carryover penalty from Connor Brown’s games played bonus.
User 318310488
The Oilers sending anyone down should really be a bus load of guys! And Campbell is driving the bus!
doghockey
Gotta be driving you nuts that the Oilers have won 6 straight and 14 of 17.
User 318310488
When you have the two best forwards on the planet you are good enough to beat cupcakes!
User 1323105297
Powerful take Brother Wilf, very powerful.
doghockey
So it is driving you nuts. Funny stuff! It is well known that you are completely detached from reality and that facts are a nuisance to you but included in those 17 wins are defeats of the Flyers, Kings, Rangers, Devils(2), Hurricanes, Jets, Knights, all teams with winning records.
User 318310488
The Flyers, Devils, And Canes are pedestrian teams these days. And you didn’t mention the majority of cupcakes they defeated. You are welcome!
doghockey
14 of 17 has gotten you quite worked up. Keep trying to change reality. It suits you well.
User 318310488
I don’t have a dog in the fight regarding the Oilers record, It’s not unusual to see an improvement when a new coach is brought in. Bottom line. The Oilers are not even close to competing for the hardware.