Additionally, he checks off the box that most coaches, including DJ Smith, like to have of a “veteran” on the defence core. While he is not a legit top-four guy, he is much better than some of the current options available. This is why a Justin Holl trade could benefit Ottawa. No amount of physical play can make up for that, especially when they are not very effective on the penalty kill either (Zaitsev especially). Both defenders bleed chances when they are on the ice and don’t help provide any offence. Upgrading on at least one of them is a must for the Ottawa Senators. We showed Holl’s RAPM Chart from EvolvingHockey above, now take a look at Zaitsev and Travis Hamonic over the past three seasons as a comparison.Ī team that seriously wants to compete probably shouldn’t have one of these guys in their lineup, they absolutely can’t have two. That still needs to happen, especially if Ottawa wants to compete for the playoffs. It does seem like the team wants to do that, but to what degree? Rumours swirled all offseason that the Sens were looking to move Nikita Zaitsev. This article is based on the thought that Ottawa actively wants to upgrade its blueline, even if they need to eat money to do so. Here is where some wishful thinking has to come in. Regardless, the Leafs would need a partner for a Justin Holl trade. Even if Holl is slightly better than other options, the additional cost may not make it worth it for the Leafs to keep him on their roster. You can push that space up by sending a player up and down on off days so that you can afford a league min scratch. If the Leafs sign ZAR for ~$800K and Sandin for ~$1.4MM, they can carry a 20 man roster with ~$650K in cap space by trading only Holl. Mete and Benn are both on $750,000 deals and saving the $1,250,000 would mean the Leafs could keep an extra player on their roster all year. Holl might be better than the latter two names but he also makes $2 million against the cap this season. Brodie and Timothy Liljegren play the right side and they have also signed Jordie Benn and Victor Mete who both can play the right as well. The Leafs are right up against the cap, and for all the narratives of their defence, they are actually pretty deep down the right side. So why would a team like Toronto want to get rid of him? The answer comes down to depth and cost. We have outlined that Holl is an NHL-level player.
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