When the St. Louis Blues signed Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to offer sheets to pry them away from the Edmonton Oilers, the team knew they were getting two former first-round picks with loads of potential. Still, what to expect from the two new signings was up in the air. Broberg was coming off an impressive Stanley Cup playoff performance, which showed glimpses that he could be a mainstay on an NHL blueline. Holloway, on the other hand, was a bit more of an unknown.
Coming into this season, it was tough to decide what to expect from Holloway in his first season with the Blues. Before this season, his career totals in Edmonton were nine goals and 18 points in 89 career games. Holloway was never a mainstay in the Oilers' lineup, but the Blues saw enough potential in him to take a chance. A fair expectation for Holloway going into this season would have been to crack the Blues roster and improve upon his season totals from last year. Now that the 2024-25 NHL season is over for the Blues, it is fair to say that Holloway exceeded all expectations in his first season in St. Louis.
2024-25 Season Grade for Holloway
Grade: A
Holloway was incredible in his first season with the Blues. After a slow start to the season, he picked up his game once the Blues signed Jim Montgomery as the team's new head coach. Holloway set career highs in goals, assists and points, while forming one of the league's most productive lines alongside Jordan Kyrou and Brayden Schenn.
Dylan Holloway did not just meet expectations in his first season in St. Louis, but blew them out of the water. With 18 career points in 89 games before, exceeding expectations would have been doubling those points in a single season, but he did more than that. Holloway did not come out of the gates hot, producing eight points in his first 22 games as a Blue, but that all changed when the team decided to move on from Drew Bannister as the team's head coach and hire Jim Montgomery.
Holloway's offensive numbers exploded under Montgomery. Holloway moved onto a line with Schenn and Kyrou and had instant chemistry together, becoming one of the most productive lines in the NHL. Holloway became a point-per-game player on his new line. In the 55 games Holloway played after Montgomery's hiring, he produced 22 goals and 33 assists for 55 points. Not only did Holloway prove that he is a legit NHLer, but he also proved that he is an integral part of the Blues' core going forward.
What to Expect from Holloway in 2025-26
Sadly, did not get to see Holloway in the playoffs after suffering a season-ending injury just a couple of days before the regular season was about to wrap. The injury required surgery, but the timeline for recovery looks to point to Holloway being back for the start of next season.
Building upon his first season in St. Louis, expectations should be for Holloway to continue to grow and improve on his numbers from last year. Holloway finished the season with 26 goals and 63 points in 77 games, even with the slow start. Now that he has found comfort in St. Louis and linemates with whom he has chemistry, I do not think it is too far of an expectation to see Holloway push for the 30-goal plateau and hit the 70-point mark next season. If he continues on this trajectory, Holloway could be a legitimate 30-goal, 70-point a year player. Not too bad for a player the team signed to a two-year, $2.3 million a year contract.