Dubas reportedly displeased with current Leafs defenseman
Yesterday, we saw Kyle Dubas continue to reshape his roster so that they are more equipped to play against both Tampa and Boston in the playoffs. Out went Rasmus Sandin, Pierre Engvall and a 3rd round pick and in came Erik Gustafsson, Luke Schenn and first (BOS) and third round picks.
It came as a bit of a surprise that Pierre Engvall was traded even though the Leafs had a surplus of forwards as many expected Alexander Kerfoot and his $3.5M cap hit to be dealt instead. According to Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, however, Kyle Dubas had not been overly pleased with the play of Engvall, which explains the move. Pagnotta also notes that Dubas has also been critical of Justin Holl's performance this season and with nine NHL defensemen on the roster, combined with his recent healthy scratch, Holl could find his way out of Toronto sooner than later as well.
A UFA at the end of the season, Holl was likely leaving anyway, but given the fact that the Leafs have brought in three more defenders this week in Jake McCabe, Luke Schenn and Erik Gustafsson, it will be difficult to find Holl playing time. McCabe, Morgan Rielly, Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie won't be healthy scratches and Timothy Liljegren has been more consistent and reliable than Holl. That leaves one spot open on the bottom pairing and it is more than likely Schenn's.
The writing may be on the wall for Justin Holl.
| POLL | ||
MARS 1 | 1629 ANSWERS Dubas reportedly displeased with current Leafs defenseman Should the Leafs move Justin Holl before the deadline? | ||
| Yes | 1506 | 92.4 % |
| No | 123 | 7.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
