Despite the fact the Edmonton Oilers signed Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner, while also retaining Adam Henrique in this offseason’s free-agent frenzy, there is not only still a spot for Dylan Holloway on the roster, but Bob Stauffer believes Holloway will “play his way up the line-up this season.”
Holloway had a bit of a breakout season in 2023-24 for the Oilers. While he wasn’t a full-time NHLer thanks to injury, he did cement a spot on the roster toward the end of the season and was a useful player in the playoffs as the Oilers made a run toward the Stanley Cup Final and got to Game 7. Holloway scored 6 goals in 36 regular season games, but another five in 25 playoff games. He’s got speed, tenacity, and skill and the Oilers have invested a lot of time and patience into the player becoming something important for them.
Whether he can secure himself a spot in the team’s top six remains to be seen. The Oilers forward group is absolutely stacked with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jeff Skinner now likely with guaranteed spots. Holloway will have to beat out Evander Kane and Arvidsson to play with the team’s elite.
Oilers Still Need to Get Holloway Signed
Holloway is currently an RFA, so his future spot on the roster is dependent on the two sides getting a deal done. While talk of an offer sheet exists, the potential of that is unlikely as another team would drastically have to overpay for the player to pluck him from the Oilers.
The belief is that the two sides will get something fair worked out in short order, the only real delay potentially being the salary cap and the fact the player and management have kind of gone their separate ways this offseason.
