With Holl underperforming, what are the best options to solidify the top four?
Justin Holl has not had a good season. Full stop. The 29 year old ECHL product has gone from being (jokingly) lauded as a Norris candidate by fans last year to being the guy the TV cameras pan to on nearly every goal against. At this point, he is without question the weakest link in an otherwise very strong D core.
The Leafs have several options available to them, the first, and simplest, is to demote Holl to the third pairing and move Timothy Liljegren up in the lineup. Liljegren has taken a step this year and finally looks like the player the Leafs saw in him when they selected him 17th overall in 2017. He's spent time on the Leafs second pair with Jake Muzzin and performed admirably, and arguably better than Holl has in the same position. The question is, are Liljegren's 32 total games worth of experience in the NHL enough on what is supposed to be a cup contending team?
The second option is an acquisition at the trade deadline. A player like Josh Manson brings a whole lot of snarl to the Leafs' blue line - something they've been lacking this seasons after losing Zach Bogosian to Tampa in the offseason.
Manson doesn't strike quite the same fear into opponents as his father Dave did, but he's a heavy hitter in his own right. Manson thrives in defensive situations, something we haven't seen this year from Justin Holl. A third team would have to be involved to take on part of his salary, which would add to what will certainly be a high price to begin with.
Another option on the trade front is Ben Chiarot. The 30 year old Hamilton native plays a physical, defensively responsible game and can chip in the odd time on offence. At only 3.5m AAV, if the Leafs could entice the Habs into taking Holl's contract and retaining on Chiarot's for some extra picks they may be able to make a deal happen with their French Canadian rivals without involving a third team for extra salary retention.
With the Leafs next 2 games postponed, and only one game left on the schedule before the Christmas break, it's time for the Leafs to start exploring ways to shore up this hole on defence, Dubas has been known to pull the trigger ahead of the trade deadline. We may see a move sooner than we think.
