2022-2023 Toronto Maple Leafs Player Grades: Part 3

#4. Pontus Holmberg

Stats with the Leafs:

Regular Season:

Games Played: 23

Goals: 5

Assists: 8

Playoffs:

Games Played: 0

Contract Status:

Signed through 2024-25 at $800K AAV on a two-way deal.

Overall Thoughts:

Holmberg could be an interesting player for the Leafs this coming season. Last year, he earned the early season trust of Keefe only to be sent down after being in the lineup for a quarter of the schedule.

Holmberg could literally do what Kampf does and makes three times less. He’s a defensive-minded center who can also play wing if needed and never seems out of position with one exception: his faceoff efficiency was low.

Holmberg’s sample size was small this past season mainly because he can be sent down to the Toronto Marlies without having to clear waivers. He would have stuck with the big club had he done enough to force Keefe into making that decision.

The same thing can happen this year, again, largely in part to the Leafs being tight to the higher end of the salary cap. So it is somewhat hard to grade him out.