All right, let’s set the scene in the frosty north where the big, bad Oilers are shaking up their roster faster than you can say “puck drop.” They’ve been up to some mischief before facing off against their arch-rivals from Calgary tonight. Look, they even made it official and all – Dylan Holloway has been yanked back up to the big show from his brief tour with the AHL Bakersfield Condors. On the flip side, James Hamblin has been sent packing down to the minors. I guess Holloway’s boarding pass for the comeback flight was stamped with some urgency.
Now, let’s talk turkey about Holloway. The guy scores one lonely goal in fourteen games, then takes a two-month break thanks to a crummy lower-body injury. Finally back on his feet, they ship him to the AHL to play pretend at center, likely skate around some cones, and voila! The guy’s a prodigy again – netting two goals and helping out on two more in just four outings. Who does he think he is, Gretzky? Okay, so maybe he got a little bit of his mojo back, but it’ll be a hoot to see if they let him keep playing dress-up as center or shove him back on the wing.
Hamblin’s news isn’t as headline-worthy, I’m afraid. The dude’s been pretty much a wallpaper in Edmonton – just two goals, one assist, and a smidge over half his faceoffs won. We’re talking face time on the ice of less than eight minutes a game. That’s barely enough time to lace up your skates properly. But hey, with Bakersfield, he’s been a bit flashier, lighting the lamp three times and dishing out two assists in six spins. So, packing his bags for the AHL might just be his ticket to more ice time and less bench warming.
Let’s see if this little game of musical chairs pays off for the Oilers, or if it’s just another drop in the bucket. Keep your sticks on the ice, folks – this chess match is just getting started.