With the quarterfinals of the 2026 Olympics ready to get set tomorrow, take a trip back to the States with a nice round of St. Louis Blues practice. There was a good amount of regulars there, aside from the five Olympians over in Italy, and most notably, Robert Thomas.
But there was one old face that laced up the skates and took a stroll in practice, and that was Dylan Holloway. Some can argue that he should be shut down for the rest of the season, but as it looked in the lone practice session, it looks like he is trending toward a return.
This is a great sign for the Blues, as all indications are still up in the air toward what direction General Manager Doug Armstrong will put this team in. No white flags have been flown yet, although, it probably should be at this point.
Jumping the gun
With only 34 games played this season, Holloway has spent a good chunk of the season trying to rehab this ankle sprain. He was initially hurt on December 15, and then made a quick comeback on January 18 for one game.
As reported by Lou Korac from The Hockey News, it seemed like Holloway rushed back from injury too soon. "“I jumped the gun and it bit me in the butt a little bit."
With so much of the season left at that point, of course Holloway is going to want to come back as soon as possible to give his team the best chance of winning. Having him at 70-80% is probably better than most other players on this team, especially with the underwhelming performances this season.
Holloway is in a weird spot
With a contract extension looming at the end of this season, Holloway is in a bit of a weird spot. Last season was a booming success, but then he got hurt at the end of the year and missed the playoff series against Winnipeg.
Then there is the sample size from this season, includes another injury-ridden highlight. When Holloway is on the ice, he is an integral part of this team's success, and this team is missing him when he is off the ice.
The Blues should be able to re-sign him, but it is up to him what he wants. His offer-sheet brother in Philip Broberg just got a large bag of cash from the Blues for the next six years at $8 million AAV.
If Holloway can finish out the season strong, as he has spoke on his return being the first Blues game out of the Olympic break against the Seattle Kraken on February 26th, he can help the Blues and his wallet. If not, New GM-to-be Alexander Steen has a big decision on his hands.