Early in the season, Broberg received much of the attention, and rightly so, being the promising young defender the Blues craved.
But what about Holloway? What did the Blues expect from the 23-year-old striker today?
With an average annual value of $2.29 million, money doesn’t always determine a player’s ceiling or bottom line, but for the production the Blues received from Holloway through 46 games, it has to be higher than what they had bargained for.
Holloway wanted more opportunities. Boy, did he get it.
After two more assists Thursday in a 4-1 win over the Calgary FlamesThe No. 14 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has more than exceeded projections.
With 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) and a staple in the top six with Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou, as of right now, Holloway’s two-year contract will be one of Doug Armstrong’s best.
If for some reason – this is unlikely – Holloway doesn’t produce another point for the rest of this season, it’s already money well spent.
But heck, why not reach for the stars at this point. Holloway is.
“We see a guy emerging as a real player in this league and I think his confidence is through the roof,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “He knows he’s a good hockey player in the league and he expects to be an impact player and he’s doing that for us.”
A great example of Holloway not just wanting his candy on the ice but working hard in all facets of the game in order to operate the puck at his best was the choppy play on the first of Schenn’s two goals THURSDAY.
Holloway lost the puck behind the Calgary net, but instead of giving up the play, he stuck with it, used his stick in the right areas, took the puck away from MacKenzie Weegar and quickly fed Schenn for the point-blank shot to the left of Dustin Loup:
“I pride myself on being able to forecheck hard, chase pucks, place pucks in the offensive zone and create chances for my linemates,” Holloway said. “They do a great job in that area as well, so I think it’s the combination of our three efforts that’s why our line is clicking.”
If you think Holloway’s ethic hasn’t rubbed off on other teammates, think again. Look at how he dragged Kyrou into battles on this line.
Holloway, who leads the Blues with a plus-13 rating, has meshed quite well with the Blues’ top scorer and the veteran Schenn has moved into the top six forwards.
“It’s electric. He’s so fast and talented,” Holloway said of Kyrou. “He demands the puck, he wants the puck. Any time you have a player like that, it’s fun to play with him. I try to read what he says. He plays good hockey. I think he’s an incredible player.
Holloway has had streaks, but when he’s active, he’s really active.
He followed a five-game scoreless streak with 11 points during a seven-game point streak (six goals, five assists), then followed a six-game scoreless streak with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in the last 11 games.
“He’s a hell of a talent, he’s relentless,” Schenn said. “He comes to the rink and tries to get better. I’m not just saying that. I really think so. He’s a guy who wants to be the best version of himself. He works extremely hard, he goes into difficult areas, he has a huge amount of skills.
“Both guys (Holloway and Kyrou) are just unreal to play with. I just try to do a little bit of the dirty work for them and go in front of the net and let their skills take over.
Holloway should finish the season with 61 points (27 goals, 34 assists) in 82 games. Yeah, the Blues will happily accept that. Imagine how much better the Oilers would be? The Blues are happy that no one will ever know.
