Toronto Maple Leafs: Looking At Some Possible Justin Holl Trades
According to Nick Kypreos, the Toronto Maple Leafs are making it known to other teams that both Travis Dermott and Justin Holl are available. This news is not all that surprising considering the recent play of Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren.
It is unlikely for Toronto to trade both defensemen and destroy their depth, but one of these players could be playing for a new team by Christmas time. Out of Dermott and Holl, Holl is more likely the one that Toronto says goodbye to.
Holl has been a healthy scratch for past few games and in his absence Liljegren has not looked out of place. The reason behind Holl being scratched is his horrible start. He has zero points in seven games and he and Muzzin were not performing like they did last season.
Dermott on the other hand has played well and is unlikely to be moved, unless the Leafs are upgrading the blue-line with a significant add.
Holl has a cap hit of $2 million AAV with one more season left on his deal. Dermott just recently signed a two year extension worth $1.5 million AAV which also expires after next season.
Another factor in traded one of these two players is that Holl will be a unrestricted free agent after next season. Dermott will be a restricted free agent which gives the trade partner more control with Dermott.
For this article I’m going to only look at possible trades for Justin Holl as he seems to be the most likely player to get traded.
Toronto Maple Leafs Trade With The Los Angeles Kings
One option for Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs is the Los Angeles Kings. These two teams have a history of being trade partners in recent years. First we have the 2019 trade that brought Jake Muzzin to Toronto in exchange for forward Carl Grundstrom, the rights to defenseman Sean Durzi and a first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Next we have the trade that brought Kyle Clifford and Jack Campbell to the Leafs for Trevor Moore, a third round pick in the 2020 draft, and a conditional thrid round pick in the 2021 draft. Both of those trades have worked out well for Toronto with Muzzin and Campbell being big pieces in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup.
Another reason as to why the Kings could be trade partners right now is their injury situation. They currently have defenseman Drew Doughty on long term injury reserve (LTIR) and is listed to be out for several weeks. They have also lost defenseman Sean Walker for the rest of the season with a torn ACL and MCL.
Toronto will want some defensive depth back in any trade for Holl as they do not have much depth after Liljegren. With the Kings already being thin on defense, Toronto might have to settle for help from the Kings AHL team.
Toronto’s main target from the Kings could be a name that was already mentioned earlier and that is Sean Durzi. Durzi is a right shooting defenseman with a low cap hit of $809,166 plus he is also an RFA this summer. He gives Toronto depth at the RD position and saves them some cap space. Durzi currently has seven points in eight games for the Ontario Reign in the AHL.
To Toronto: Sean Durzi, 2022 4th Round Pick
To Los Angeles: Justin Holl
Toronto Maple Leafs Trade With The St. Louis Blues
Now, unlike the Kings, the St. Louis Blues are having a great start to their season. With that being said, they only have three defensemen signed beyond this season. They have shown interest in Holl before and might see him as a good option for them on their third defensive pair for next season.
The next question then becomes, who will Toronto target from the Blues lineup? Many reports indicate that Toronto is interested in Robert Bortuzzo. Now, Bortuzzo only has one point in seven games , but he has much better corsi numbers. This means the team has control of the puck more often when he’s on the ice.
Another thing to point out is that Bortuzzo would give the Leafs the sandpaper they lost from their defense when Zach Bogosian left for Tampa Bay. If you try to compare Bortuzzo’s hit numbers to Holl’s hit numbers, you’ll see that they are not that far apart. The main difference is Holl averages almost seven minutes of ice time more than Bortuzzo. If Bortuzzo played as much as Holl, his hit totals would be much higher. Bortuzzo is clearly the grittier of the two and he could help to make Toronto harder to play against.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Bortuzzo, he would be a rental for this season. He becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, but while he’s here he would offer Toronto $625,000 in cap space.
To Toronto: Robert Bortuzzo, 2022 4th Round Pick
To St. Louis: Justin Holl
Toronto Maple Leafs Trade With The Calgary Flames
A trade between these two teams would accomplish two things. For the Flames, it would allow them to upgrade their defense for this season and next season. For Toronto, they could get much needed cap space and some possible depth.
Calgary has expressed interest in Holl and would consider him to be an upgrade over veteran blueliner Michael Stone. Now, this is where the trade makes sense for both teams. Holl going to Calgary is an upgrade for them, while Stone going to Toronto would give the Toronto Maple Leafs, cap relief, and a depth defenseman.
Stone only makes $750,000 this season before becoming a UFA this summer. He would provide the Maple Leafs with $1.25 million in cap relief plus give them a veteran depth option should they need it. Stone has only played in one game this season, but gave Calgary some reliable minutes.
From a salary cap standpoint, this is the best trade option for Toronto, but from a production standpoint, it is the worst option. So it comes down to what Toronto really wants in return for Justin Holl. Are they looking for a seventh defenseman who can supply some offense, or do they want cap relief and a depth defenseman who can give them reliable minutes?
Next. Toronto Maple Leafs Top Prospect Playing Great. dark
We could likely find out the answer sooner rather than later. Toronto won’t want to keep Holl scratched for long and if they play him, they won’t want to keep Liljegren out for too long either.
To Toronto Michael Stone, 2023 3rd Round Pick
To Calgary: Justin Holl