I’ve never been as sold on Holloway as others have. He’s still young and he could turn into a solid NHLer if he got out of Edmonton. But even when he was playing for team Canada at the world juniors a few years ago I never understood all the praise he got from the media. He was not putting up points at the tournament or dominating play. He played ahead of Zary in the line up and, even in limited minutes, Zary was producing more scoring opportunities when he was on the ice. It was obvious at the time that Holloway’s offensive skills were lacking compared to other top picks from that draft. I understand that he was drafted as a two-way center but I think he tops out as a 3rd line center at best in the NHL.
Not saying there isn’t value in guys like that… but I think him being I included in a deal does not tip the scales very much. Obviously, he’s really all the oilers have in terms of young talent so he would likely be included in any deal they could make. But it’s their first round picks that I would target more than any young player they already have in their organization.
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