Toronto reporter believes Leafs defenseman's next contract will be much larger than expected
It's a tough pill to swallow that we won't see a Game 6 or a Game 7 against Florida and that the Leafs are officially done playing hockey in the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This just seems like a huge blown opportunity and now, with so much recent failure, we're likely to see a lot of roster turnover once again. This time, however, it could be even more significant.
Aside from the Core 4, there are a number of players who are likely to be on the chopping block. One of those players is blueliner Justin Holl, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. Holl has certainly had his ups and downs during his time in Toronto - especially during the series against Tampa. However, Sportsnet's Luke Fox believes that Holl could be in line for a larger contract than anyone is anticipating this summer.
"Justin Holl isn't perfect. He's streaky. He can be fallible. But he did not deserve the lopsided online ridicule from the fan base in 2022-23, just as he didn't deserve 71 healthy scratches in 2018-19.
Holl had a rough go in the Tampa series, but he was excellent in Games 4 and 5 in the Florida series with T.J. Brodie on the shutdown pair. Holl earned every penny of his modest $2 million salary, and fans will be shocked when they see how much he's offered on the open market." - Luke Fox on Justin Holl
Holl had a rough go in the Tampa series, but he was excellent in Games 4 and 5 in the Florida series with T.J. Brodie on the shutdown pair. Holl earned every penny of his modest $2 million salary, and fans will be shocked when they see how much he's offered on the open market." - Luke Fox on Justin Holl
We all know that quality right-shot D are the hardest thing to find. We can sit here and debate about the quality of Justin Holl until the cows come home. The bottom line is that he has never been as bad as the fans have made him out to be. He's frustrating, sure. But he isn't a bad hockey player.
Holl is more of a specialist than anything else. He's a very good rush defender, who also performs well on the penalty kill. There is a market for players like that. In terms of how much he'll earn on his next deal, that's really anyone's guess. But judging by what Luke Fox is saying, maybe we'll see Holl double his salary this summer if he goes to the open market.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
| POLL | ||
MAI 14 | 457 ANSWERS Toronto reporter believes Leafs defenseman's next contract will be much larger than expected Will Justin Holl's next AAV exceed $4M? | ||
| Yes | 67 | 14.7 % |
| No | 255 | 55.8 % |
| Only if he goes to free agency | 135 | 29.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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