Battle brewing: Holloway's stellar pre-season could force big roster decisions for Oilers
Dylan Holloway skated on a line with Connor McDavid Wednesday morning ahead of the Edmonton Oilers' pre-season rematch against the Vancouver Canucks.
The 21-year-old rookie took a huge step in proving he belongs in the league, and possibly on one of the Oilers top lines, Monday night when he scored three times and added an assist in a 7-2 win over the Canucks.
"Heck of a game," head coach Jay Woodcroft said of the rookie's effort.
"He's really impressed everyone," sniper Leon Draisaitl said of Holloway.
The first-round pick in 2020 is among the NHL leaders in pre-season scoring with six points in four games.
"He's big, he's strong, he has a real good skill set," Woodcroft said, while reminding people it's still the pre-season where rosters full of NHL players are rare.
Holloway has outscored everyone on the team so far including forwards Warren Foegele, Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi, all of whom are expected to battle each other for ice time.
Jesse Puljujarvi skated on the second line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, according to Tony Brar with Oilers TV, while Yamamoto and Foegele were not expected to play.
"I believe Jesse Puljujarvi deserves a chance in these last few games to play in a significant role, find his confidence, and answer the challenge that has been laid down by Holloway and Foegele (who scored twice against Vancouver)," Ryan Rishaug told Dustin Nielsen during his Wednesday show on TSN 1260.
Rishaug, TSN bureau chief in Edmonton, said Puljujarvi has had a "fairly underwhelming" training camp so far and there's a chance he starts the year on the fourth line.
Trade rumours have surrounded the Finnish forward for months. His ice time and scoring productivity fell in the second half of last season and it has been reported that he asked for a trade out of Edmonton for a second time.
At the start of camp, general manager Ken Holland said Puljujarvi is in a "battle" for ice time, and that he wanted to see his team in pre-season before making any roster moves. Foegele and Tyson Barrie have also been named in trade rumours by NHL insiders.
"The overall encouraging sign is that you have a battle here with NHL guys. Gone are the days where 21 and 22-year-olds were just granted spots on the roster," TSN 1260's Connor Halley said, referring to a long playoff drought that some Oilers fans call the "decade of darkness."
Several NHL insiders have speculated that the Oilers haven't traded Puljujarvi yet because Holland doesn't like the offers he's received for the former fourth-overall pick. But Holloway's emergence might make the GM and fans feel better about making a move now, Halley believes.
"I think the problem with trading Puljujarvi is you're probably going to lose that trade…What Dylan Holloway has done, you can feel a little better about potentially losing a trade, but it's still gotta be a tough pill to swallow," Halley said,
The Oilers play the Canucks in Abbotsford at 8 p.m. MT.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Ottawa injects another $36M into fund for those seriously injured or killed by vaccines
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
Video shows suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Ex-SNC executive sentenced to prison term in bridge bribery case
The RCMP says a former SNC-Lavalin executive has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection with a bribery scheme for a bridge repair contract in Montreal.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.