No. 2: Justin Holl
Whether or not you speak highly of Justin Holl right now shouldn’t really matter because you’re not going to find a top-four defenseman who’s making less than $2M.
Holl’s $2M deal for one more year is such a bargain compared to what you have to pay a free agent defenseman, so team’s should be lining up for his services.
Personally, I don’t think the Leafs should trade Holl and should continue with the seven-man unit they have, but if they’re able to grab a better player than him, they should trade him. Holl is a good player, but he’s not great and if the team has an option to upgrade him, then do it.
You’d probably think that Alex Kerfoot should be on this list ahead of Kerfoot, but at this point, I can’t see any reason why the Leafs would trade Kerfoot. He’s a valuable piece at a decent price tag who can play third line centre and top-six wing.
Holl, on the other hand, is a tradeable asset who the team will realistically shop in trade talks.