Leafs superstar forward makes surprising comment about maligned defenseman
Justin Holl takes a lot of heat from the Leafs' fan base, but the fact of the matter is that he does have some very useful applications for the Buds. The one that stands out is how great he's been on the penalty kill. You don't need to look too hard to find evidence of this, as Holl's presence on the PK on Sunday during Game 4 led to the Lightning scoring just one power play goal on 8 attempts. Holl was on the bench at the time that goal was scored.
On Tuesday, following the Leafs' morning skate, Mitch Marner touched on how important Holl has been to the success of the team this year and how the team views the big blueliner.
-Marner on Justin Holl's game
This is, of course, likely in response to Toronto Sun reporter Steve Simmons referring to Holl as the Leafs' worst defenseman following the Leafs' 7-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 and Sheldon Keefe's decision to start Justin Holl in that game, which led to Steven Stamkos' opening goal early in the first.
Holl's play at 5v5 is a bit of a concern, but with the Leafs having the last change at home, Keefe has the ability to shelter Holl's minutes at 5v5 and get the matchups that he wants, as opposed to Tampa being able to control the matchups. It also doesn't hurt that Holl is playing alongside a top notch veteran like Mark Giordano in Games 3, 4 and 5.
It's easy to look past Justin Holl having a career year, setting new career highs in goals (3), assists (20) and points (23) in his 69 games played this season. Holl is not the player who is going to dazzle anyone with his offensive prowess. We did, however, see how effective he can be in shutting down the opposition's top players. We saw this on full display last season when Holl was able to completely neutralize Connor McDavid in 3 straight games vs the Oilers in the North Division.
Ultimately, the Leafs will not win or lose based on Holl's presence in the lineup as the team's 6th defenseman. It's going to be about controlling the matchups, converting on their chances and staying out of the penalty box. The Leafs have a ton of skill that is all but neutralized when they're taking 6-8 penalties per game. They need to play hard, play disciplined and do everything they can to keep the play in Tampa's end. That's how this team will get the job done.
| POLL | ||
MAI 10 | 383 ANSWERS Leafs superstar forward makes surprising comment about maligned defenseman Do you think Justin Holl is underrated? | ||
| Yes | 121 | 31.6 % |
| No | 160 | 41.8 % |
| Strap him to a rocket and fire him into the sun | 102 | 26.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
