Ex-Leafs defenseman appears to take a shot at Leaf fans, felt undervalued during his time in Toronto
Justin Holl's time in Toronto was a roller coaster to say the least. He had his good moments and bad moments but most of the time he was the whipping boy for Leaf fans - sometimes deserved and other times, taking more heat than was warranted.
This past off-season, Holl left Toronto for Detroit, signing a 3-year deal that will see him earn $3.4M per season. That contract, so far, has looked like a very good deal for the Wings as Holl was the early league leader in plus/minus and is currently tenth overall with a +7 rating. In 8 games so far, he has three assists and is playing just under 17 minutes per game in his usual shut down and penalty killing role. While Holl appears to have found greener pastures, this past week he was on the "Ray and Dregs" podcast and was asked about his time in Toronto.
"I loved my time in Toronto. I really have nothing but great memories and I'm grateful for the relationships that I was able to forge and the team success that we had," said the 31-year-old blueliner.
While Holl said he enjoyed his time in Toronto, he also seemingly fired a subtle shot at the Leafs and how he was valued.
"I have no qualms about moving on, but I was really grateful for my time in Toronto. That being said, this is just what was next in my path to development I think and how the contract situation works out and everything like that, I'm grateful to be in a place that I'm valued and I'm just ready to keep moving."
Given how he was treated by the fanbase, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he often didn't feel valued during his time with the Leafs.
The former second-round pick of Chicago in the 2010 draft worked his way to the NHL from the ECHL. Holl played one season in the ECHL before signing an AHL deal with the Toronto Marlies, which eventually turned into an NHL deal. Holl spent nine seasons in the Leafs organization before heading to Detroit. In 293 NHL games, Holl has registered 85 points and 160 penalty minutes.
POLL |
OCTOBRE 29 | 409 ANSWERS Ex-Leafs defenseman appears to take a shot at Leaf fans, felt undervalued during his time in Toronto Should the Leafs have re-signed Holl instead of signing Klingberg? |
Yes | 141 | 34.5 % |
No | 268 | 65.5 % |
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