St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway is expected to return to the lineup when the team hosts the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, marking his first game action since January 18th. Holloway has been sidelined for 23 of the last 24 games due to a right high ankle sprain initially suffered during a practice session on December 14th.
Holloway’s return comes with an acknowledgement that his initial comeback attempt was premature. After missing 15 games, he played in a 5-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on January 18th, but subsequently missed another eight games as the injury continued to hamper his performance. “I feel much better,” Holloway said following a Blues practice. “Obviously it’s been tough being out. It [stinks]. It’s hard mentally, but I’m definitely feeling a lot better than I did before I tried to play the last time.”
The 24-year-classic Holloway has registered 17 points – eight goals and nine assists – in 34 games this season. His injury history has been a concern, following a torn oblique muscle that ended his previous season prematurely in April of last year, after a strong campaign where he recorded 63 points in 77 games.
Holloway’s path to St. Louis was marked by a contentious departure from the Edmonton Oilers. Last summer, the Blues extended an offer sheet to the restricted free agent, a two-year deal with a $2.29 million cap hit, which Edmonton ultimately declined to match. According to Holloway, the decision stemmed from a perceived lack of value placed on him by the Oilers organization. “Alberta boy, I wanted to go back to Edmonton with the team we went so far with,” Holloway said on the Cam and Strick Podcast. “It rubbed me the wrong way how little Edmonton thought of me in our contract negotiations, and whatnot.” He added that he did not have any direct contract talks with then-Edmonton GM Ken Holland, and felt his offer wasn’t matched due to the Oilers’ limited cap space and a belief they could sign him for less.
The Oilers subsequently brought in Jeff Skinner and Victor Arvidsson as replacements for Holloway, while also acquiring Philip Broberg via a separate offer sheet from St. Louis. Holloway’s 43 points in his first season with the Blues would have ranked fourth on the Oilers last year, surpassing the production of both Skinner and Arvidsson.
Meanwhile, Blues forward Robert Thomas has resumed practicing for the second time since undergoing a right leg procedure on January 31st. However, his status for Thursday’s game against the Kraken remains uncertain. Coach Jim Montgomery stated, “I just talked to him at the end [of practice]. Said he felt good. It’s a good step, but it’s not all the way there yet.”
