“Gateway To The Net: Holloway Extension Gives Blues Their Next Great Line”
- Jason Fink
- May 4
- 4 min read
By Jason Fink
Doug Armstrong did it again. The St. Louis Blues general manager, who is set to step
down at the end of June in favor of Alexander Steen, completed one more final major
task before riding off into the sunset. Armstrong inked winger Dylan Holloway to a
five-year contract extension worth $38.75 million with an average annual value of
$7.75 million.
The deal will start next year and will run through the 2030-’31
season. With Holloway slated to hit restricted free agency this summer, the Blues
wanted to scratch his contract extension off their to-do list. There were some critics
who felt Holloway needed to prove himself due to his injury history before getting a
big payday. The Blues extended defenseman Philip Broberg to the tune of 6 years
and $48 million. Broberg has played 13 more games than Holloway as a Blue since
he signed his offer sheet the same time as Holloway. So why does Holloway have to
prove anything at this point? The injuries he sustained were freak injuries, not
chronic issues. Holloway has shown his worth and then some whether it be on or off
the ice.
Since Holloway arrived in St. Louis after signing an offer sheet for $4.58 million in
the summer of 2024, he has been nothing short of spectacular. The former first-
round draft pick made Armstrong look like an absolute genius when he finished his
debut season with the Blues with 63 points in 77 games and posting a +21 rating.
His season was cut short when he tore his oblique off the bone in an injury he
suffered against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 3, 2025. The ailment required
surgery and put him out of the playoffs, which the Blues were ousted from in the
first round by the Winnipeg Jets in a tough seven game series.
Expectations were high for Holloway and the Blues heading into the 2025-’26
season and unfortunately for both, they were not initially met by him or the team.
Mired in a tailspin that took four months to free themselves from, the Blues were
20-28-9 heading into the Olympic break. As for Holloway, he started off slow as well
scoring eight goals and 17 points in his first 33 games. To compound matters, he
sustained a high-ankle sprain in practice on December 14, 2025. The injury kept him
out a month. When he returned on January 18 against the Oilers, it was deemed after
the game Holloway returned too soon from the injury and had to go back on the
shelf. With the Olympic break on the horizon, it was just what the 24-year-old
needed.
When Holloway re-returned on February 26 against the Seattle Kraken, he came
back with a vengeance and never looked back. After netting a hat trick and an assist
against the Kraken, Holloway was eventually put on a line with center Robert
Thomas and rookie winger Jimmy Snuggerud and the trio would put on an offensive
clinic that left Blues fans yearning for more.
When Holloway, Thomas, and Snuggerud were matched up on March 1, they
terrorized the opposition while the Blues reaped the benefits in the win column.
From March 1 on, the team went 16-4-2 . Here’s what the “Gateway to the Net” line
did:
Holloway-23GP 11G 19A 30PTS
Thomas-22GP 14G 17A 31PTS
Snuggerud-23GP 11G 16A 27PTS
Now let’s take a look at their production projected over a full 82 game season:
Holloway-39G 68A 107PTS
Thomas-41G 71A 112PTS
Snuggerud-39G 57A 96PTS
Not only did the Blues secure the future of Holloway, but they also secured the
future of their top scoring line as well. I think its also safe to say you can put the
Thomas trade rumors from March to bed because the Blues are cooking with fire
right now and there is absolutely no reason to disassemble this phenomenal
mechanism. On paper, the Blues have a top scoring line that has no problem going
head to head with the best in the league.
There’s always risk in projecting production over a full season. But what isn’t a
projection is fit, and the Blues have something real here. Holloway’s extension
ensures that one of the most dynamic young lines in the league stays intact. With
Thomas driving play and Snuggerud finishing at a high level, this isn’t a line you
break up; it’s one you build around. Armstrong’s final move may end up being one of
his most important. If this trio is what it looks like, the Blues aren’t just trending
upward. They are arriving.
Published by Ryan Boman
Ryan K Boman is the President of Two Tomahawks Media and the Publisher for the San Francisco Giants at Sports Illustrated. He's the author of the 2023 book, 'Pop Music & Peanut Butter: A Collection of Essays Looking at Life with Laughter & Love'. Boman is a longtime sports writer & editor whose previous work has appeared at The Sporting News, MSN, Yahoo! Sports, the Miami Herald, and Yardbarker. Follow him on X @RyanKBoman View all posts by Ryan Boman
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