It looks like the Edmonton Oilers are making a slight change to their forward mix ahead of an elimination Game 5 against the Kings on Wednesday. Warren Foegele was moved down to the fourth line during practice on Tuesday, with Dylan Holloway being elevated to line three alongside Ryan McLeod and Corey Perry.
Foegele hasn’t been bad, but he’s not given the Oilers the same level of production he offered at the end of the regular season. Meanwhile, Holloway has been a surprise bright spot for Edmonton. In limited minutes, he’s been effective, scoring a couple of goals. He’s only been getting 9:23 per game. Foegele has been getting over 13 minutes. This change might flip the script on that a bit.
We’ve Seen This Story With Holloway Before
Keep in mind, the Oilers had Holloway on a third line in practice before the series with the Kings began and he started Game 1 on the fourth line while Evander Kane got the third line minutes. Kane has worked his way up to a top-six role. What Edmonton is going with in practice on an off day might be a firm indicator of how head coach Kris Knoblauch deploys his lines on Wednesday.
Still, Holloway is deserving of another look, whereas Foegele might need a bit of a kick in the pants. Neither has been bad, but if Foegele can be more effective in a top-nine role, that’s a big deal for the Oilers offense which only scored once in Game 4 to edge out Los Angeles 1-0.
Foegele is a pending UFA at the end of the season and his playoff performance could speak volumes as to the level of interest Edmonton has in re-signing him and, if so, what they’re willing to offer on an extension. He posted 20 goals for the first time in his career during the 2023-24 regular season.
Next: Insider Says Oilers Want Long-Term Deal for Vincent Desharnais
