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Sidelined by surgery to repair a lower-body injury, Holloway was relegated to a spectator as ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ came within seconds of advancing to the second round by beating league-leading Winnipeg. During the season, Holloway was one of the Blues’ best players and said he “was pretty crushedâ€� not to be able to play in the playoffs.

“That was really hard,� Holloway said in a phone interview. “You work so hard all year to try and help the boys get to the dance. I was so proud of our group for making the playoffs. After the All-Star break, everybody was really counting us out. I would have definitely loved to have played in the playoffs.

“I was pretty heartbroken I couldn’t do it, but tried to cheer the boys on as much as I could. Tried to be around the team and talk to guys about different plays. Tried to still be involved, but ultimately, it was really hard to watch. I think our team did great. I think our guys stepped up.�

Holloway suffered his injury April 3 in the first period against Pittsburgh on a hit in the corner by Rutger McGroarty. Holloway took one abbreviated shift after the hit before quickly returning to the bench and not returning for the rest of the season.

“At that point, I was experiencing lots of pain, but sometimes you can play through pain,� Holloway said. “That was one I couldn’t play through. Ultimately, it was a lot worse than I thought it was.�

Holloway did not specify what his injury was or what kind of surgery he underwent but said that he had surgery about one week after the injury. The initial MRI on the day after the game pointed toward surgery, and Holloway collected other opinions that landed at the same conclusion.

He is expected to be ready for training camp in the fall, and said he was “really confident� about hitting that checkpoint. Holloway has already started the rehabilitation process, which has included skating.

“I’ve been able to work out, skated a few times,� Holloway said. “It’s been really good. We were pretty cautious after the surgery in wanting me to be out for a while. After the surgery, I couldn’t even move. For two weeks there, I was just on the couch and on painkillers.

“It’s been a faster recovery than I thought since then. Right now, I’m able to work out and skate. Obviously, I’m not doing anything too crazy. I’m not doing anything too explosive. For the most part, I can stay in good shape, get my touches and my edges going.�

Keeping Holloway off the ice is generally a difficult task. He’s often on the ice for optional Blues practices. He’s almost always on the ice late after practice working on different skills, a persistent work ethic that has been noticed by the Blues coaching staff and rubbed off on teammate Jordan Kyrou.

So this summer could be a mental task for Holloway, too.

“I feel like so much of my days are made up of trying to do things I can to get better as a hockey player,� Holloway said. “Ultimately, I need to be healthy to do that. They always say rest is a weapon. You’ve just got to chill.�

This season was Holloway’s first in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ after coming over from Edmonton via offer sheet in the summer. He responded with a career season that was one of the biggest surprises in the NHL, posting 26 goals and 37 assists in 77 games. Entering the season, Holloway had 18 total points in 89 NHL regular-season games.

In the second half of the season, Holloway formed the Blues’ most consistently dynamic line alongside Kyrou and Brayden Schenn. In 55 games under coach Jim Montgomery, Holloway had 55 points.

“I started out good, I was playing good, but my numbers weren’t really there,� Holloway said. “All of the sudden, the goals and assists started to come. Once I started playing with Schenner and Rouzy, I think we built a ton of chemistry. It was a lot of fun playing with those guys. I was able to grow more, gain more trust with Monty and work as hard as I can, be as effective as I could out there.�

So how did Holloway go from depth piece in Edmonton to vital component of the Blues’ turnaround? He simply credits opportunity. Holloway averaged 16:49 of ice time per game with ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, almost 5 1/2 minutes more than what he played in Edmonton the year prior.

“I think that’s all what it comes down to,� Holloway said. “When you’re playing less minutes, you’re out of the game a bit. Your legs don’t feel as good. You’ve got to get going again. When you get lots of opportunity, every game you get more confident and more touches. By Game 50, you’re super confident out there. I think that was probably the biggest thing.�

Only Kyrou (36) finished with more goals than Holloway among Blues; only Robert Thomas (60) with more assists.

Last summer was obviously a big one for Holloway, jumping from Edmonton to ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ courtesy of the seldom-used offer sheet. But this one could offer Holloway another dotted line to sign on. Beginning July 1, Holloway will become eligible to sign a contract extension with the Blues.

His current two-year contract with a cap hit of $2.29 million will expire after the 2025-26 season. Given his age, 23, and production, Holloway’s next contract could carry a cap hit of more than $7 million.

“Obviously, that would be really nice and it would be something that would be great,� Holloway said of a possible extension. “At the end of the day, it’s not up to me. It’s up to management. I still have one more year to prove myself, too.

“I’d love to stay in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ long-term. I loved it this year. The team is great, the guys are great, the city is great, the fans are awesome. It was a super fun year. I’m just looking forward to next year, just hoping next year, we can go even further.â€�

When Holloway next suits up for the Blues, he’ll do so on a team with heightened expectations after they were the league’s best team for the final two months of the regular season.

“Every game, I just thought we kept getting better and better,� Holloway said. “I think that we deserved a little bit better there in the playoffs. That was really heartbreaking how that ended. Ultimately, I think it was a good year for our group. A lot to learn from, and I think we can grow and have an even better year next year.�