It’s about time that the Edmonton Oilers should seriously entertain the idea of calling up Dylan Holloway from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
The former 2020 first-round pick was sent down to the AHL shortly before last month’s NHL trade deadline after playing 32 games with the Oilers this season. Though his production was not great at the NHL level, scoring just three goals this season, there was no doubt that he provided a lot of speed in the lineup and helped the team hem in the opposition.
In 16 AHL games this season, Holloway has contributed seven goals and 12 points. Lately, he has been on fire with nine points in his last eight games with the Condors. He is currently on a six-game point streak in the AHL.
Step 1: win faceoff
Step 2: Shoot
Step 3: Tip itWelcome back Hollywood. #Condorstown pic.twitter.com/z4YDsR4vRf
— Bakersfield Condors (@Condors) March 9, 2024
The subpar offensive results in the NHL may make the idea of a recall seem unwise, but there is a lot to like about how Holloway plays. First of all, he is a great forechecker and has the wheels to bring the puck through the neutral zone. He also has a wicked shot that goaltenders have a hard time controlling. Those are attributes the Oilers could use in the lineup right now, especially in the top nine.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch has shown that he isn’t quite sold on his second line yet, shuffling players around on a near-daily basis. The current configuration of Adam Henrique-Leon Draisaitl-Corey Perry is proving to be too slow to put up against elite competition.
The ideal change to make that line faster and more effective would be to move Perry down a few lines, where he can make the team deeper to play against. The problem is that no obvious candidate can take that second-line spot right now. Warren Foegele has looked good playing there in the past but, again, it feels like his ideal spot would be on the third line.
Ryan McLeod is another option who has had past success, though the organization seems to like him as bringing an element of speed and skill as the third-line centre.
As the team heads down the final stretch, why not at least give Holloway some runway to see if something clicks ahead of the playoffs? He has the speed to help that second line along and, although it’s lacked so far in the NHL, he does possess decent offensive upside. It could, at the very least, help the team get an idea of what does and doesn’t work before the postseason.
The worst-case scenario for the Oilers would be that Holloway doesn’t gel up top and they move him down to give the team more options in the bottom six.
It makes a world of sense to figure out exactly what you have in Holloway before the playoffs start, so calling him up sooner rather than later should be in the cards.