Yahoo Sports Oilers Regret Not Bringing Forward Back
EDMONTON -- Management might get a lump of coal for this one.
The Edmonton Oilers were faced with a brutal decision in the summer. For the first time in history, two of their players were simultaneously signed to an offer sheet. Stan Bowman and company had one week to respond.
Famously, they decided not to match Dylan Holloway's and Philip Broberg's offers, and that decision has not been well-received thus far.
For Holloway specifically, his newfound success with the St. Louis Blues, combined with the lack of production from a rotating cast of characters in the top-six, are reasons the Oilers regret this decision.
Dylan Holloway Would Be The Secondary Scoring They Need
Like every other year, the Oilers dynamic duo has brought their A-game. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid drive the bus offensively, but secondary scoring has been consistently lacking.
Holloway would have solved that problem easily. He's having a breakout season in the year of our Lord, 2024-25. In 36 games, he has 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points. He's also thrown 81 shots at the net while averaging 15:48 of time on ice.
If he were still on the Oilers and had that level of production, he would be a fixture in the top-six forward group. He would rank fourth in points, behind Draisaitl (52), McDavid (49), and Evan Bouchard (25).
Holloway would be tied with Zach Hyman for third in goals (13), behind Draisaitl (24) and McDavid (15). Holloway would be fifth among forwards in average time on ice. Only McDavid (21:42), Draisaitl (21:19), Hyman (19:22), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (19:20) play more than him.
Dylan Holloway Would Be Perfect Fit For Draisaitl
Draisaitl is putting together a Hart Trophy-worthy season despite not having linemates who are consistently contributing offensively. The details and all of the little things are important, but so are goals and points.
The trio of Vasily Podkolzin, Viktor Arvidsson, and Kasperi Kapanen could be easily replaced with Holloway. Draisaitl could have even more than 52 points if that were to happen.
Holloway has more goals than Podkolzin, Arvidsson, and Kapanen. He is producing at this level while playing with Robert Thomas, Brayden Schenn, and Zach Bolduc. That's a solid list of linemates, but they are not McDavid, Draisaitl, or Bouchard.
They Are Spending More Money on Less Valuable Players
Holloway is making $2.29 million for the rest of this year and next. That would make him one of the most valuable contracts on any team.
The young forward produces more than several Oilers who make more money than he does. Jeff Skinner, Adam Henrique, and Viktor Arvidsson all make millions of dollars more but have less to show for it.
The caveat to that statement is that Skinner and Henrique have struggled to produce, and Arvidsson has been injured for most of the season. However, that shouldn't obscure the cold, hard truth that they haven't produced enough this season.
When the offer sheets were prepared, the Oilers' matchup on Holloway made complete sense. The fact that they didn't raised eyebrows.
With his production this season, it's easy to see why.
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