NHL Notebook: Edmonton Oilers won’t play Dylan Holloway on the fourth line, Auston Matthews won’t talk money and more

1 year ago

No matter what plays out at Edmonton Oilers camp over the next few weeks, Dylan Holloway won’t be on the Oilers’ fourth line.

This is according to Oilers GM Ken Holland, who clearly feels Holloway’s development won’t progress there.

Holloway had a tremendous rookie camp looking like a player who wants to make the Oilers roster. Having him in the Oilers’ top-nine is the optimal spot for Holloway to not only have a chance to be a contributor, but it will also limit him from playing few minutes a night.

If Holloway isn’t determined to be ready for top-nine minutes, there’s nothing wrong with him heading back to Bakersfield to continue his developement. I don’t think he’s far off from being an NHL regular, though.

Matthews on Toronto: ‘I consider it home now’

Auston Matthews isn’t interested in talking about a new contract. A day after Nathan MacKinnon signed a record-breaking new deal, Matthews was asked about that deal, as well as what a new one could look like for him.

“It’s well-deserved,” said Matthews about MacKinnon’s deal. “As far as my situation, I’m not too focused on that, it’s still a couple of years away.

“I want to be clear about the contract stuff. I’m going to touch on it today, and that’s it. I’m focused on the season, and we’ll deal with it then. I love playing here, I consider it home now.”

Matthews is coming off a tremendous 60-goal campaign and is in year four of a five-year contract paying him an AAV of $11.640-million. The future is murky when it comes to what lies ahead. Should the salary cap rise when expected, Toronto shouldn’t have much issue signing Matthews to, well, whatever he wants.

But the age old question of “does he want to stay?” isn’t likely to go anywhere until the ink is actually dry on a contract.

Chychrun still wants to be traded

The Oilers have had their name loosely connected to Arizona Coyotes defenceman Jakob Chychrun since he became available last year.

And now, it appears nothing has changed for a player looking for a fresh start as Coyotes beat reporter Craig Morgan reported Wednesday that Chychrun’s trade request remains active.

Getting a player like Chychrun wouldn’t be cheap, but he would be a great addition to the Oilers’ left-side. I have a harder time now imaging a deal shaking out given the Oilers’ commitment to Brett Kulak as a lefty, but the more talented the players the better.

Flames re-sign Ruzicka

The Calgary Flames re-signed forward Adam Ruzicka to a two-year deal, The Athletic’s Julian McKenzie reported Wednesday.

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

Copp to miss camp

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

Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman said he’s expected to return to the lineup in the first week of the regular season. He inked a five-year deal paying him an AAV of $5.625-million.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.

#NATIONVACATION TO LAS VEGAS

When: On Thursday, January 12th, we’re jumping on a flight at the Edmonton International Airport and making our way to Vegas. On Sunday evening, we’ll fly back from Vegas to Edmonton. So the dates that you need to block off for this trip are January 12th to 15th.
Where we’re staying: After landing in LV, we’ll jump on the free shuttle and make our way to the Park MGM before settling in for a good night’s sleep. 😉
What you get: Your roundtrip flight, hotel, shuttle, viewing party (Friday night), game entry — we got seats this time (Saturday night), and exclusive entry into our pre-trip ‘get to know everyone’ event.
How Much: The total cost for the trip, flight, hotel, and entry to the game is $1499 per person (based on double occupancy)
Tickets: Ready to dive in? Click this link.

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