Sheldon Keefe reveals how he felt seeing Justin Holl in a different uniform in his return to Toronto last night
After another early playoff exit this past May, this time at the hands of the Florida Panthers, it was a foregone conclusion that there would be plenty of new faces in Toronto this summer, with new GM Brad Treliving having his first opportunity to tinker around the core.
One of the first roster subtractions in Toronto was Justin Holl, who signed a multi-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent, worth $3.4M per season. Last night, Holl made his first trip back to Toronto since inking his new deal, dropping a 4-3 OT decision to the Leafs in pre-season action.
Holl was much maligned during his tenure in Toronto, despite the fact that he carried a relatively low $2M cap hit, yet still played a premium position as a big-body, right-shot defenseman. He was also a key penalty killer for the Leafs, but even with all of the good that he had brought to the lineup, he was a disaster in his own end, couldn't move the puck effectively and often had problems clearing the zone.
Holl's subpar play eventually resulted in him dropping out of the team's top 6 defenders, playing a lot of his time as the team's 7th following the acquisitions of Jake McCabe and Luke Schenn.
Following the Leafs' big win, head coach Sheldon Keefe was asked about Holl's return to Toronto and what it was like seeing him in a different jersey.
Obviously, there were a lot of emotions there with Keefe, who had known Holl for so long, but I think, in his heart of hearts, that it was time for both sides to move on. Holl wasn't a guy that the Leafs were winning with, and obviously he wasn't the sole reason why the team hasn't won anything, but something had to give and the Leafs weren't going to win anything by paying him even more than they were.
Nevertheless, with Keefe having relegated Holl to that 7th D spot at points last year, it was clear to him even then that the two sides were likely headed towards a split this summer, which likely helped soften the blow a bit.
| POLL | ||
6 OCTOBRE | 241 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe reveals how he felt seeing Justin Holl in a different uniform in his return to Toronto last night Did the Leafs make a mistake by letting Justin Holl walk as a free agent and paying John Klingberg $4.15M instead? | ||
| Yes, it was a huge mistake | 42 | 17.4 % |
| No, it was the right move | 108 | 44.8 % |
| Holl leaving was fine, Klingberg coming in was not | 91 | 37.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
