Leafs lose another defenseman in free agency

As we patiently await the announcements of a number of top UFAs on Saturday, we have already seen Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn leave Toronto to sign with the Nashville Predators. Now, another Leafs defenseman has signed elsewhere.

I know some Leaf fans let out an audible sigh of relief reading that one, but Justin Holl is indeed headed to Detroit on a 3-year deal, worth more than $3M per season.

Last season, Holl had 18 points over 80 games while averaging just over 20 minutes of ice time per night. Although he was a decent penalty killer for the Leafs, there were countless times he seemed invisible on the ice. He's had some plays wind up on the highlight reel, too. I mean, how could anyone forget this?

Nonetheless, this deal with the Red Wings is a pay increase for Holl, going up from a $2 million AAV to $3.4 million.

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