How Will Holloway’s Recover From a Broken Wrist Impact his First Pro Training Camp?

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

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Oilersnation (Laing)

Informal skate sees 13 Edmonton Oilers hit the ice

And over a dozen players were seen on the ice at Rogers Place this week, TSN 1260’s Tom Gazzola reported.
Connor McDaid, Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Jesse Puljujarvi, Zack Kassian, Kris Russell, Evan Bouchard, Phillip Broberg, Devin Shore and Kyle Turris were all on the ice. The 13th player out there was UFA Tyler Ennis.
It marks one of the first time players have hit the ice together in Edmonton since a disappointing first-round exit at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets.

BLH’s Thoughts: The first and second lines are present as well as the eventual top pairing. That’s great news! Finally, some hockey is starting to seep through the cracks. I imagine that we’ll soon be getting some amateur footage online too.

I’d like to know where some of the players are who’re slated to be in tough to win a spot on the team. You’d think they’d like the longest running start as possible as training camp approaches.

Question, who organizes these skates and runs them?

Cult of Hockey (McCurdy)

Centre? Winger? All-purpose forward Dylan Holloway provides Edmonton Oilers some nice options

What shines through all these reports, both of the scouting experts like Pronman and Wheeler and of less-credentialed observers like Staples and myself, are testaments to Holloway’s speed, power, and aggressiveness, all packed into a pro-ready 6’1, 203-pound frame.
The upshot is Holloway has three different ways to make the NHL — as a centre, as a winger, and as a plug-and-play utility man.
In fact, the biggest red flags raised during his breakthrough Draft +1 season were the two injuries, one that slowed him down, the other that stopped him entirely. His ability to stay healthy while playing his rugged style is a question that can only be answered over time.
Expectations for 2021-22: If healthy, there is a non-zero chance that Holloway blows the doors off in camp and claims a spot on the team. More likely, though, that he spends some developmental time under Jay Woodcroft and company in Bakersfield. If so, his objective will be to carve out a meaningful role with copious ice time, perhaps in McLeod’s 2021 role as first-line centre.

BLH’s Thoughts: Yikes! This is not the way a highly-touted prospect wants to begin his professional career. I’m curious to know when Holloway broke his wrist since it was a broken thumb that kept him from playing for Bakersfield at the end of last season…

Typically, the recovery time for a broken wrist is 6-8 weeks, maybe shorter for an elite physical specimen like a professional athlete is. How much training has this young man been able to get done with a bunged up wrist?

So with that in mind, if he’s not good to go for next week’s rookie camp yet, and training camp set to start not long after, would it be more safe to say that the chances of Holloway making the Oilers out of camp have decreased significantly?

Look, I like this guy, I’ve liked him since the beginning of his draft year. He’s a throwback player and I love those kinds of forwards! However, he plays the kind of style that isn’t all that conducive to a long productive career and lends itself more to a VIP membership to LTIR.

Now, if he ends up becoming another player like Peter Forsberg or Wendel Clark, very few will care, but if he doesn’t develop into an impact forward, the media in Edmonton and the Oilers fanbase will eat him alive.

Spector’s Hockey

NBC SPORTS: James O’Brien believes the San Jose Sharks should consider some trades as one way to reverse their declining fortunes. He feels they should consider all options with the exception of potential impact prospects such as William Eklund.

That includes considering offers for Tomas Hertl.
O’Brien also suggests shopping Timo Meier.

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports the Senators remain focused on signing Brady Tkachuk to a long-term contract extension. There’s unconfirmed speculation they’ve tabled an eight-year deal worth $8 million annually to the 21-year-old winger.