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
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.