What’s going on with the Edmonton Oilers’ top young prospects?

In Game 2 of the Edmonton Oilers’ series against the Los Angeles Kings, young winger Dylan Holloway scored twice, giving his team a chance to win the important game.

Although Edmonton lost in overtime, Holloway’s two-goal outburst signaled his arrival as the team’s all-game forward.

Holloway is a recent arrival from the Oilers’ promising pipeline and has made his presence felt at just the right time.

His big game on Wednesday signals a potential turning point for many young players looking to get regular work on the team.

Chart of mind-boggling depth

Edmonton general manager Ken Holland has lined up his team with veteran free agents for the 2023-24 season.

These additions gave the Oilers even more depth and the quality of the recall from Bakersfield naturally improved. Here’s a look at a veteran with only one left wing prospect coming off the farm (Holloway) during the regular season.

All numbers are 5 to 5

Holloway failed to provide enough offense to move up to the third line. They also have a smaller defense than the group above, with power play time taken up by Evander Cain and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and penalty kill time taken up by Matthias Janmark.

Depth became even more of a challenge for the young winger when the Oilers added forward Adam Henrique at the deadline.

Who is Holloway?

Adding to the difficulty for Holloway was the new coaching staff’s unfamiliarity with his game.

From the time Chris Knoblauch took over as Edmonton’s coach until the end of the season, Holloway appeared in just 25 games for Edmonton, averaging 11 minutes per game and scoring five goals.

He was a depth player who failed to gain traction and spent time in the AHL (18 games from January to April) after Knoblauch took over as coach of the Oilers.

playoff chance

Oilers lines and combinations at Morning Skate vs. SJS:
enrique mcdavid hyman
RNH-Draisaitl-Fegele
Holloway McLeod Perry
janmark carrick brown
ryan

nurse ceci
Ekholm Bouchard
Crack Descharnais
Stescher

skinner
Picard

Absent: Kane

— Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) April 15, 2024

As mid-April approached, a change in weather appeared in Holloway.

He started getting reps on the third line with Ryan McLeod and Corey Perry.

The Athletic‘s Daniel Nugent-Bowman wrote that both Cain and Nugent-Hopkins need to increase their production during the postseason.

As the playoff series against Los Angeles approaches, Kane revealed that he is playing with a sports hernia that limits his abilities.

All of these factors increased Holloway’s playing time and contributed to his two goals against the Kings.

Looking back at his minutes on the left side in two playoff games, you can see that Holloway sees things quite differently.

All numbers are 5 to 5

While Holloway’s minutes remain strictly on the fourth line, his percentage of overall minutes has increased rapidly.

The overwhelming results led by Holloway are attracting attention.

Ironically, he is blossoming with Sam Carrick in the center and his old rival (Jean-Marc) on the opposite wing.

If the good results continue, Coach Knoblauch may decide to move the entire lineup up in the hierarchy. Otherwise, we might see a repeat of Holloway alongside McLeod and Perry in future games.

I’ll be waiting in the wings

Philip Broberg has been busy bouncing between Edmonton and Bakersfield, playing in both cities throughout April.

He continued to put up impressive numbers at the AHL level and got a chance to shine in a few NHL games late in the regular season.

Broberg will be a key component for the Condors in the team’s opening series against the Ontario Reign.

He’s also the first recall if an injury occurs to the left side of the defense at the NHL level.

Broberg’s speed should be a huge asset if he gets a chance to play in a postseason game with the Oilers this spring. He has a little NHL playoff experience (10 games).

next year’s country

Late in the regular season, several of Edmonton’s top scoring prospects finally found their place in the AHL.

Xavier Bourgaud, the only Condors forward drafted by Edmonton in the first round, went 1-2-3 in his final four games. This happened after 51 games, in which the young winger scored only 17 goals.

Carter Savoie went 6-9-15 in the first 50 games of the regular season, but went 4-3-7 in the final 13 games of the regular season.

Tyler Tullio went 1-3-4 in his final eight games, a much higher scoring rate than his regular season numbers (46, 8-9-17) before the late spike.

Matvei Petrov did not finish the game in which he scored a goal, but in the last game of the regular season he scored one goal.

That’s encouraging for both the organization and the fans. The skilled forward has had a difficult season, but there is still time left on his entry-level contract.

The 2024-25 season will be a big one for these names.

Expected slow play

The Oilers, led by Holland, are very slow at promoting prospects who have performed well enough to merit a recall.

It has been framed by many as a net negative.

There are advantages.

Evan Bouchard’s contract progress was delayed as the organization kept him away from NHL action. Bouchard’s current cap hit will be even higher as he was brought in during the Peter Chiarelli era.

Players like Holloway and Broberg are ripe and ready to play in the NHL, and we’ll see that in the playoff series against the Kings.

Are the slow plays of players like Bouchard, Holloway, and Broberg worth it?

If Edmonton reaches the Stanley Cup Final with the help of its young players, it will be hard to argue against this practice.

From Sam Gagner to Connor McDavid, Holland’s plans are very interesting to fans after adding players to the NHL roster four months after the draft to increase prospects over a decade of hockey. .

Holloway’s success in the playoffs is a strong endorsement of this practice.

Broberg and others may follow suit.

(Photo by Dylan Holloway: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)