NHL Notebook: The Edmonton Oilers Won’t Play Fourth Row Against Dylan Holloway, Auston Matthews Won’t Talk Money, and More

No matter what happens in the Edmonton Oilers camp over the next few weeks, Dylan Holloway will not be in the fourth line of the Oilers.

That’s according to Oilers GM Ken Holland, who clearly thinks Holloway’s development won’t go ahead there.

Holland said Dylan Holloway’s performance at camp could inform other decisions he makes in the coming weeks. However, he said Holloway will not be a fourth-liner with the Oilers.

— Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) September 21, 2022

Holloway had an enormous rookie stash that looked like a player looking to make the Oilers roster. Having him in the Oilers’ top 9 is the optimal spot for Holloway not only to have a chance to contribute, but it will also prevent him from playing even a few minutes a night.

Unless Holloway is determined to be ready for top 9 minutes, there’s nothing wrong with returning to Bakersfield to continue his development. However, I don’t think he’s far from being an NHL regular.

Auston Matthews is not interested in talking about a new contract. A day after Nathan MacKinnon signed a record-breaking new contract, Matthews was asked about that contract and what a new one for him might look like.

“It’s well deserved,” Matthews said of MacKinnon’s deal. “As for my situation, I’m not focusing too much on that, it’s still a couple of years away.

“I would like to have clarity about the contractual matters. I’ll address it today and that’s it. I’m concentrating on the season and then we’ll deal with it. I love playing here, I consider it my home now.”

Matthews has had an incredible 60-goal season and is in the fourth year of a five-year contract that pays him an AAV of $11.640 million. The future is bleak when it comes to what lies ahead. Should the salary cap increase as expected, Toronto shouldn’t have much of a problem signing whatever Matthews wants.

But the age-old question, “Will he stay?” is unlikely to go anywhere until the ink on a contract is actually dry.

The Oilers’ name has been loosely associated with Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun since he became available last year.

And now, for a player looking for a fresh start, nothing appears to have changed, as Coyote’s reporter Craig Morgan reported Wednesday that Chychrun’s trade request remains active.

Jakob Chychrun admits he took on the Coyotes to try and get traded so he could play for a team that could be fighting for a playoff spot rather than endure the rebuild. That obviously didn’t happen, but that’s still his wish.

— Not the country singer Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) September 21, 2022

Getting a player like Chychrun wouldn’t be cheap, but he would be a great addition to the Oilers’ left side. Given the Oilers’ tie to Brett Kulak as a left-hander, I’m having a harder time imagining a deal now, but the more talented the players, the better.

The Calgary Flames have re-signed forward Adam Ruzicka on a two-year deal. The Athletics Julian McKenzie reported on Wednesday.

The deal carries an AAV of $762,500. He played in 28 games in the NHL last year and scored 10 points as the fourth liner.

Detroit Red Wings forward Andrew Copp is recovering from off-season abdominal surgery and is expected to miss training camp.

Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman said he is expected to return to the lineup in the first week of the regular season. He settled on a five-year contract that paid him an AAV of $5.625 million.

Zach Laing is the news director and senior columnist for The Nation Network. You can follow him on Twitter at @zjlaingor reachable by email at [email protected]

• When: On Thursday, January 12th, we’ll board a plane at Edmonton International Airport and make our way to Vegas. We fly back to Edmonton from Vegas on Sunday evening. So the dates you need to keep free for this trip are January 12-15.
• Where we stay: Upon landing in LV, we board the complimentary shuttle and make our way to Park MGM before settling down for a good night’s sleep. 😉
• What you get: Your return airfare, hotel, shuttle, viewing party (Friday night), game entry – this time we have seats (Saturday night) and exclusive entry to our pre-trip “get to know each other” event.
• How much: The total cost of travel, flight, hotel and entry to the game is $1499 per person (based on double occupancy)
• Tickets: Ready to dive in? Click this link.