Oilers Activate Dylan Holloway, Assign Him To AHL
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.
Pacific Injury Notes: Soucy, Hoglander, Gagner, Holloway, Burroughs
In a report from Thomas Drance of The Athletic, the Vancouver Canucks will have to wait a bit longer for the return of Carson Soucy. Making his way back from a fractured leg, Soucy had just recently returned to skating a little over a week ago. In the same report, Drance also points out that forward Nils Hoglander will be a game-time decision for the team’s game tonight against the Ottawa Senators.
With an injury to his knee, foot, and leg all within his first three months as a member of the Canucks organization, Soucy’s tenure with the team has already been plagued by injuries. Of the 36 games played by Vancouver so far this season, Soucy has only suited up in 13 of those, only being available for 36% of the team’s games up to this point. When Soucy eventually returns to the lineup, assuming he can stay clear of injuries for the remainder of the season, the Canucks will own one of the most well-rounded defensive cores across the league.
In the case of Hoglander, it is unclear by the reporting if he is dealing with a nagging injury, or if the Canucks are debating on carrying him as an extra forward tonight. Although he suited up in the team’s most recent game against the Philadelphia Flyers, recent reports indicated that Hoglander had been moved off the second line and recently practiced as an extra forward.
Other injury notes:
- With forward Dylan Holloway ready to return from his knee injury suffered in mid-November, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic expects both he and forward Sam Gagner to be in the lineup this weekend for the Edmonton Oilers. Although Edmonton has recovered fairly well since the organization’s horrid start to the regular season, the bottom half of their forward core has still been a significant issue across the board. Gagner has been a solid addition in that department in now his third stint with the Oilers, and the reintroduction of Holloway’s physical play will certainly make Edmonton harder to play against each night.
- Having missed the team’s most recent game on New Year’s Eve, San Jose Sharks defenseman, Kyle Burroughs confirms he will be back in the lineup tonight as the Sharks take on the Detroit Red Wings (X Link). Going through a difficult season similar to the rest of his teammates, Burroughs has tallied four assists in 35 games this year, carrying a -22 rating into tonight’s action.
Pacific Notes: Holloway, Tanev, Markstrom
TSN’s Ryan Rishaug is reporting that Edmonton Oilers forward Dylan Holloway won’t be back in the lineup until after Christmas at the earliest. The 22-year-old suffered a knee injury a little over a month ago and was placed on the injured reserve on November 14th. His injury was considered month-to-month at the time and given the timeline today’s update isn’t all that surprising.
Holloway was the Oilers’ 14th overall selection in the 2020 NHL entry draft and has spent most of the last two seasons in Edmonton. This year with the Oilers the Calgary, Alberta native has just a single goal in 14 games which happened in the game prior to him being knocked out of the lineup with this injury.
In other Pacific Division notes:
- Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Herald is reporting that Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev is nearing a return from injury. Gilbertson said that when speaking with the media Flames head coach Ryan Huska referred to Tanev as being very close to a return. The 33-year-old has missed the last three games for Calgary with an upper-body injury and is sure to be eager to rejoin the team as he tries to continue boosting his free-agent stock for next summer. Tanev hasn’t produced much offensively this year with a goal and six assists in 28 games but he continues to offer a strong defensive impact and will surely be in demand at the trade deadline as well as next summer.
- Gilbertson also reported that Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom is close to a return. The 33-year-old netminder has missed the last seven games with a fractured finger and skated in the club’s morning skate today. Markstrom has not had the start to the season he was hoping for as he has gone 6-8-2 with a 2.94 goals-against average and an .896 save percentage. Markstrom’s return will likely lead the Flames to an interesting decision with their goaltending as prospect Dustin Wolf has been dynamite in the AHL but has struggled in his short time in the NHL. The Flames also have Daniel Vladar as an option, but he’s struggled the most of the Flames’ three goaltending options and could be moved in a trade or exposed to waivers and assigned to the AHL.
Edmonton Oilers Make Several Roster Moves
The Edmonton Oilers have announced several roster moves: defenseman Philip Broberg as well as forwards Raphael Lavoie and Adam Erne have been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, while forwards Mattias Janmark and Dylan Holloway have been placed on long-term injured reserve. Janmark’s LTIR placement is retroactive to October 26th.
Janmark, 30, has not played since that date and is currently dealing with a shoulder injury. He still has not yet returned to skating, so his LTIR placement reflects the long-term nature of his absence. A veteran bottom-six forward, Janmark scored 10 goals and 25 points last season but has been held off the scoresheet through seven games this year.
Holloway has been hit with some really poor luck, as just shortly after playing what some in the Edmonton media referred to as his “best game as an Edmonton Oiler” Saturday against the Seattle Kraken he has landed on LTIR.
Holloway went hard into the boards against the New York Islanders Monday night, leaving the game before its conclusion.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the game that Holloway’s absence would be “longer-term,” an unfortunate reality that Holloway’s placement on LTIR reflects.
A fast and energetic forward, Holloway’s offensive production in the NHL hasn’t quite matched what he posted at the University of Wisconsin or what the Oilers likely expected when they drafted him 14th overall in 2020. This season was viewed as a crucial one for Holloway’s offensive development, and now with this injury, he has been hit with a potentially significant setback.
As for the recalls, bringing Broberg back into the fold affords Knoblauch more options on defense as he, before these moves, had just six defensemen on his roster. With Broberg now available, he could opt to shift Vincent Desharnais out of the everyday lineup, something that might be necessary as the hulking six-foot-seven rearguard has struggled this season.
Broberg, who is just a few short months older than Holloway, is in many ways in a similar situation. He’s also a player the Oilers spent a premium pick on who has yet to truly figure out how to make an impact in the NHL. Perhaps with the games afforded to him by this recall, Broberg will be able to make strides in establishing himself as a regular at the game’s highest level.
Erne, 28, is a veteran bottom-six forward who has been recalled to bolster the depth Knoblauch has at his disposal on offense. While he has not scored in six NHL games this season, he does bring nearly 400 games of NHL experience to the table. Lavoie, 23, is notably less experienced but has had a genuine AHL breakout over the last two seasons, putting together an impressive run of offensive production.
He’s gotten a chance in the Oilers’ top-nine already this season, but now with two new voices behind the Oilers bench it’s unsurprising that he’s gotten another shot to impress.
These recalls fill out the Oilers roster to a degree the team may not have been able to do without Janmark’s $1MM cap hit on LTIR. Now Knoblauch has additional players at his disposal on the NHL roster who can hopefully help the Oilers dig themselves out of the colossal early-season hole they dug themselves into.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Oilers Call Up Dylan Holloway, Olivier Rodrigue
In preparation for tonight’s Game Four between the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports that the Oilers have recalled forward Dylan Holloway and goaltender Olivier Rodrigue from their AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors.
Due to the undisclosed injury to forward Mattias Janmark, Holloway could find himself in the lineup tonight if Janmark is expected to miss a second straight game. If Holloway does find his way into the lineup, it will be the first NHL playoff game of his career.
In his rookie season, Holloway, unfortunately, did not impress as much as the Oilers may have liked him too. In 51 games for Edmonton this season, Holloway posted three goals and six assists. He did achieve a positive Corsi For % of 54.2, but averaging just a touch over nine minutes a night, Holloway never really got that much of an opportunity for the Oilers this season. He was sent down to the AHL on February 17th, but injured himself for one month, getting cleared to return on March 15th.
In his first full season in the AHL, Rodrigue posted a solid season, going 14-14-1 in 29 games played, carrying a SV% of .912 and a GAA of 2.77. As both regular goaltenders Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell should be ready to play for Edmonton tonight, Rodrigue will likely be serving as the emergency backup goaltender for the Oilers.
Injury Updates: Stalock, Holloway, Stone, Dowd
Alex Stalock is practicing with the Blackhawks again, and the team hopes he’ll join their upcoming four-game road trip. As reported by Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago, Stalock is returning from ocular dysfunction that has kept him out of the lineup since January 14th.
Although Stalock’s steady presence in the crease would be a boon for most teams in the Blackhawks position this season, it likely spells a return to the minors for Blackhawks’ goalie Jaxson Stauber. In his five starts since Stalock’s injury, Stauber has accrued four wins, including a 32-save win against the Maple Leafs on Sunday night. Stalock will now take over in net for the struggling Blackhawks with a 6-6 record with a .918 SV% this season.
Some other injury updates:
- The Edmonton Oilers will be missing young forward Dylan Holloway for “about a month” according to Jason Gregor of The Nation Network. After a very productive college hockey career, Holloway has failed to replicate his production in college to the professional level. Playing primarily in Edmonton’s bottom six, Holloway has scored nine points in 51 games this season. Due to the activation of Kailer Yamamoto off the injured reserve on February 17th, Holloway was sent down to Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. Although he’s now rostered in the minors, losing Holloway could be a significant hurdle in Edmonton’s upcoming trade deadline plans.
- Calgary Flames defenseman Michael Stone was seen today entering Scotiabank Saddledome in a boot with crutches. Noted by reporter Eric Francis of Sportsnet, Dennis Gilbert appears to be the likely replacement for Stone’s lost minutes.
- Nic Dowd is on the verge of returning to the Capitals lineup, according to Tarik El-Bashir for The Athletic. Dowd, who has been out of the lineup since the Capitals’ January 16th game against the New York Islanders, will be a welcomed return to the Capitals’ bottom six. Scoring 19 points in 44 games this year, Dowd’s performance this season has made him a valuable depth center for Washington.
Kailer Yamamoto Activated From Injured Reserve
The Edmonton Oilers have bought themselves some time, though they are now in a tricky situation. Today’s activation of Kailer Yamamoto from long-term injured reserve comes with the reassignment of both Dylan Holloway and Vincent Desharnais, leaving the team with only 20 active skaters.
That’s enough to cover a lineup, though if the team suffers any minor injuries – ones that do not need long-term injured reserve – they will be forced to play short. Once they do play a game with fewer than 20 skaters, they will receive a cap-free recall for a player under $850K, but that still limits their options. Holloway, for instance, couldn’t be brought back under that exemption.
So, for the time being, the 21-year-old forward is stuck in the minors, despite having played in 51 games this season for Edmonton. They can play it off as an opportunity for Holloway to get big minutes and continue to develop, but there’s little reason to think this was the plan all along. The Oilers are stuck, until they make a trade to free up some cap space or bite the bullet and waive one of their more expensive forwards.
Yamamoto’s return is a bright spot, at least. The 24-year-old forward is coming off his first 20-goal campaign and has 12 points through 31 appearances this year. He gives the team a nice boost as we close in on the trade deadline, and hopefully, will be able to retake his position as a top-six option next to their superstar forwards.
Pacific Notes: Hoglander, Nutivaara, Holloway
The Canucks have received some interest in winger Nils Hoglander including from the Hurricanes in possible trade talks for Ethan Bear, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports (Twitter link). However, Vancouver is making it known that they have no desire to part with the 21-year-old. Hoglander is off to a slow start this season with just one assist in five games, continuing his trend from last season where his production and role decreased. It’s understandable that teams are seeing him as a possible buy-low candidate but Vancouver certainly isn’t in a position to trade a cost-controllable young player unless they’re getting a similarly-priced young asset back. While they like Bear, he’s not in that price range at $2.2MM. Dhaliwal notes that he’s heard that Carolina is making some progress on moving the blueliner so if it’s not going to be Hoglander, Canucks GM Patrik Allvin will need to find another option that Carolina likes if they want to land him.
More from the Pacific:
- It doesn’t appear that the Sharks will be getting Markus Nutivaara back anytime soon as Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports (Twitter link) that he has yet to resume skating as he works his way back from a lower-body injury. That injury is related to the hip one that sidelined him for all but one game last season. The 28-year-old inked a one-year, $1.5MM deal with San Jose at the beginning of free agency but it’s safe to say he’ll be waiting to make his debut for a little while longer.
- Oilers forward Dylan Holloway told reporters including Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun that he is good to go after suffering an upper-body injury last week against Buffalo. The rookie had a very limited role in his first few games and while Edmonton only has 12 forwards on the active roster at the moment (including Holloway), he’s not expected to be in the lineup tonight against St. Louis.
Lineup Notes: Hoglander, Robertson, Holloway
The Vancouver Canucks will spin the wheel of healthy scratches again tonight, this time sitting down Nils Hoglander for their game against the Minnesota Wild. Conor Garland will be inserted back onto the top line after taking his turn in the press box, according to Harman Dayal of The Athletic, who also tweets out that Tucker Poolman will be a game-time decision.
Hoglander, 21, recorded an assist on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, his only point of the season so far, and has just seven shots on net through four games. The diminutive forward hasn’t been able to replicate the kind of impact he had when he first entered the league in 2021, scoring 27 points in 56 games during the shortened season. While head coach Bruce Boudreau likes the way Hoglander is playing, he told Dayal that “sometimes you look at your opposition and see what you need.”
- The offseason experiment of Denis Malgin on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ second line is coming to an end, at least for tonight. According to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, the team will move top prospect Nick Robertson into the lineup to play beside John Tavares and William Nylander, an especially exciting opportunity for the young forward because of the opponent. Robertson’s brother Jason Robertson is in town with the Dallas Stars, making the second time the siblings will face off in the NHL. Despite starting games with the top-six unit, Malgin has averaged just 11:18 through his first four appearances with the Maple Leafs, seeing fewer than nine minutes in a recent loss against the Arizona Coyotes.
- Dylan Holloway isn’t going to play tonight, according to Ryan Rishaug of TSN, who notes that while the young forward is listed as day-to-day, it could be a little while before he returns to the lineup if he’s dealing with a head injury. The Oilers’ prospect got punished by Buffalo Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin earlier this week in a massive open-ice hit. With Holloway injured, Edmonton will have to go with a roster of just 20 healthy players, unless another move is made (or the young forward ends up on LTIR).
Pacific Notes: Oilers, Benson, Wright
The presence of Dylan Holloway is what ultimately might be the final push for the Oilers to part ways with Jesse Puljujarvi, suggests Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (subscription link). However, when that happens remains to be seen. Nugent-Bowman notes that Edmonton isn’t interested in a futures-based return for Puljujarvi which doesn’t help an already-thin trade market since a lot of teams can’t take on his $3MM AAV. However, while moving Puljujarvi would free up some needed cap space, they’d be taking a risk with promoting Holloway into a prominent role considering he has basically half a pro season under his belt with their AHL affiliate. Long-term, they should take comfort that Holloway could fill Puljujarvi’s spot but it might be a case of later rather than sooner that the youngster pushes Puljujarvi out.
More from the Pacific:
- Still with the Oilers, they’ll be without winger Tyler Benson for a little while with the team not sure how much time he’ll miss, notes Daily Faceoff’s Jason Gregor (Twitter link). On its own, a player on the fringes of the roster missing time isn’t typically notable in itself but as PuckPedia points out (Twitter link), Benson was on Edmonton’s roster long enough last season to have his cap hit count in full instead of being prorated through season-opening IR. With cap space at a premium for Edmonton, having Benson count in full to start the year if he’s only going to miss a couple of weeks certainly won’t help things.
- While it’s not set in stone just yet, Kraken GM Ron Francis told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link) that he believes Shane Wright will spend the full season in the NHL. Seattle took the center fourth overall back in July which came as a surprise to many as he was viewed as the projected top selection for most of the season. With Matthew Beniers, Yanni Gourde, and Jared McCann all ahead of him down the middle on the depth chart, Wright might not get a lot of playing time early on but that will also allow him to be eased in from a development perspective which, in the long run, might be ideal for the 18-year-old.