The now 32-year-old was originally drafted 15th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks. He only lasted in Anaheim for parts of 3 seasons where he scored 5 goals and 7 points in just 29 games. Holland was traded to Toronto in the winter of 2013 and wound up spending parts of 4 seasons with the Maple Leafs.
He scored 25 goals and 63 points in 174 games but was no longer a viable option with the emergence of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and a lot of younger players. He was then traded to Arizona, signed with Montreal that summer, and after playing for Laval in the AHL he was then shipped off to New York to play for the Rangers in his final stint in the NHL.
Since then, Holland played 2 seasons in the KHL for Yekaterinburg Automobilist and played his last season of professional hockey in the Swedish League for Djurgardens IF in 2021-22. Attempting to make a comeback in the NHL, Holland started training with Gary Roberts this spring in the hopes of finding a tryout, which is evidently what has happened in Colorado.
The Avalanche could use some depth, potentially a fourth line centre with Ben Meyers currently stapled there for the time being, and with captain, Gabriel Landeskog, out for the season. If Holland is unsuccessful in Colorado, once released from his PTO, any team will be able to sign him.
