Former Top-10 Pick Could Be an Underrated Trade Target for Maple Leafs
Photo credit: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images
A new article from The Daily Faceoff's Steven Ellis has Vegas Golden Knights forward Alex Holtz as a potential trade piece and could be a great piece for Toronto.
With the Maple Leafs looking for top or middle-six help for their upcoming season, they have been linked to several prominent names who would no doubt help the team, but end up costing them a lot in the long run.
A lack of premium assets and draft picks are making this pretty difficult, though with some creativity and sacrifice the team might be able to get something done.
They have been attached to smaller names including Nashville's Luke Evangelista, who is a restricted free agent and apparently far apart in negotiations. But according to one analyst, there may be another RFA in play.
Insider Notes Former Top-10 Pick on the Trade Block
According to The Daily Faceoff's Steven Ellis, one RFA who could be looking for a new home and is currently without a deal is former seventh overall pick Alexander Holtz.
Ellis explains why Holtz might be on the chopping block:
Once considered to be one of the most gifted goal-scoring prospects in the game, Holtz hasn't managed to translate that to the NHL. He had a career best of 28 points with New Jersey in 2023-24 before getting shipped out to Vegas, where he had just four goals and 12 points in 53 games last season.
At this point, Holtz is just a depth scorer who isn't rounded enough to thrive in defensive roles.
There also doesn't seem to be a clear pathway for him to be a full-time NHLer in Vegas, especially after they added Mitch Marner to the wing this summer. With the right team, Holtz can stick around. But his options are limited.
At this point, Holtz is just a depth scorer who isn't rounded enough to thrive in defensive roles.
There also doesn't seem to be a clear pathway for him to be a full-time NHLer in Vegas, especially after they added Mitch Marner to the wing this summer. With the right team, Holtz can stick around. But his options are limited.
While it doesn't seem great that Toronto would bring in someone defensively short, however they added enough solid pieces in Nic Roy, Dakota Joshua, and still have guys like Calle Jarnkrok, Scott Laughton, and even stars like Auston Matthews can hold their own defensively.
Marner coming in essentially makes Holtz expendable, and with a struggling season it might behoove them to move on.
Why Alexander Holtz Could Be a Smart Middle-Six Target for the Maple Leafs
Which makes him the perfect candidate for the Maple Leafs.
The team needs to get younger and they need to bring in some help for their middle six. If he can link up with Roy and bring in some of that old Vegas chemistry, it could work out (and Roy is good enough to cover for him defensively) and will be in sheltered minutes to start.
He's also only 23, and could join someone like Nick Robertson and Matias Maccelli as the new wave of players who fill in the middle of the lineup while the stars continue to shine.
In 163 career games, Holtz has 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists) but much like Roy, seemed to have been pushed to a much smaller role in Vegas. He clearly has scoring potential at the NHL level (16 goals in 2023-24) and could use a fresh start as a means to break out.
Solidifying their young players for the next few years will not only make free agency a bit easier, as they know they have reliable pieces who can hold their own while Toronto pursues a star, but give them some much needed youth in their lineup.
So perhaps the team should keep tabs on Alexander Holtz, because he certainly seems like he's ready to break out; he just needs a place to do it.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 5 | 1210 ANSWERS Former Top-10 Pick Could Be an Underrated Trade Target for Maple Leafs Do you think Alex Holtz will be a good pickup for the Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 476 | 39.3 % |
| No | 734 | 60.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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