Former Maple Leafs Defenseman Justin Holl Hits Lowest Point of His NHL Career
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
At one point Justin Holl was expected to be a huge part of the Maple Leafs defensive identity, but only a few short years later finds himself at arguably his lowest.
Sunday's waiver wire saw a total of 45 players added to it as teams decided who was on the chopping block as rosters need to be finalized by 5pm on Monday.
Among the cuts was defenseman Justin Holl, who was seemingly no longer part of the Red Wings plans as the team will look to move in a different direction as he likely heads to the AHL.
Justin Holl Placed on Waivers: How His NHL Future Will Play Out
It spells the end of the line at least for now, for a player who at one time was so coveted that the Maple Leafs neglected to keep former 40-goal scorer Jared McCann in the expansion draft in order to have him stay in their plans.
Holl wasn't necessarily terrible for the Maple Leafs; he skated in 285 games and had 82 points (11 goals, 71 assists) and he had one season with 139 blocks and 151 hits; but the team just decided to move on and he was signed away by Detroit in 2023.
Signing a three-year, $10.2-million deal, Holl suddenly dropped off hard, with only five points in his first season (five assists, 38 games) and dealing with injuries, meanwhile he had a slightly better year last year.
With eight points in 73 games, he was at least decent, however still looked a step or two behind, and with Detroit opting to go a little younger on the blueline this season, Holl was a necessary casualty.
From Everyday Starter To Waiver Wire: Why Justin Holl's Descent Is Shocking
Whether it was the pressures of signing a fairly big contract, or a sudden lapse of judgement about where he signed; Holl's decline is quite startling.
He hasn't played in the AHL since the 2017-18 season when he won the Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies. Similar to current Maple Leaf David Kampf, who only spent one season in the AHL before coming up; it's unusual territory.
You could see it as a way to motivate them to play better in order to earn their spot, and the experience and reliability edge will win out more often than not.
Plus, the young guys who are fighting to earn their chance are certainly a lot hungrier than someone who has been in the game for a bit and might feel like they deserve their spot over a rookie.
Whatever has caused Holl's production and reliability to fall off a cliff is up for debate, as there's no real singular cause we can narrow down as to why he's fallen from grace.
But the fact remains that Detroit has no plans to include him going forward, and it's one of the worst things that could have happened to a once promising career.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 5 | 1559 ANSWERS Former Maple Leafs Defenseman Justin Holl Hits Lowest Point of His NHL Career Will Justin Holl end up playing in the NHL this season? | ||
| Yes | 601 | 38.6 % |
| No | 958 | 61.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
