Holl hasn't seen game action since January. What is his path back to the lineup and will that happen in Detroit?
Holl hasn't seen game action since January. What is his path back to the lineup and will that happen in Detroit?
Per Derek Lalonde at this morning's skate, tonight will soon become Justin Holl's ninth straight game as a healthy scratch for the Red Wings. The 32-year-old defenseman—who signed in Detroit last summer after six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs—has not played since January 31st. Holl has played in 35 of the Red Wings' 58 games to date this season, but since Ben Chiarot returned from injury coming out of the All-Star break, Holl has not folded back into the lineup.
"Obviously, it's difficult," Holl told The Hockey News last week. "As a player, you always want to play. You always want to be out there, and you feel like you're missing out when you're not in the trenches with your buddies. But it's part of the deal, so all I can do is be ready when the time comes."
Detroit has seven established NHL defensemen, and with only six available spots on any given night, at least for the moment, Holl is the last in the queue. When asked about that dynamic, Lalonde emphasized that he has "full trust in Justin" but with the full defense corps healthy, Holl remains the odd man out. Lalonde also cited the importance of special teams to some of the decision making "within the depth of our D corps," which would seem to apply most directly to power play quarterback Shayne Gostisbehere.
This month, or even this season, isn't Holl's first experience with sitting in the press box. "My first year with Toronto, I was a healthy scratch a lot," he told THN. "I know somewhat how to handle it, but it doesn't make it any easier." Holl hasn't played in the AHL since the '17-18 season, but the following year, he played in just 11 NHL games with the Leafs.
That the Red Wings have gone 6-2-0 during his ongoing run of consecutive scratches provides at once comfort and disappointment. "I believe in this group big time," Holl explains. "I love the boys, and I'm happy obviously, but it just makes you jealous too."
Lalonde pointed out that there are effectively two routes back into the lineup for Holl: "Either feel—we've trusted him all year—or if we get through the rest of the season with all seven healthy D, we might be the only team in the history of the league to do that through the last 30 games of the year, so I think it'll play itself out."
Of course, there is another alternative path forward for Holl. ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman is "listening to offers on his defensemen," and, given that Holl is the odd-man out at the moment, perhaps a trade is in order. However, the idea of trading Holl has two clear complications.
First, as Lalonde pointed out, Detroit is just one injury away from needing Holl on the back end once again. Sure, many Red Wing fans may be keen to see Simon Edvinsson take that spot, but given the team's repeated emphasis on the value of veteran depth as well as the simple fact that Edvinsson has played just twice in the NHL this season, it seems a bit far-fetched that he would suddenly be thrust into the thick of a playoff race now. With that in mind, it's difficult to imagine Holl being moved before the trade deadline on March 8th if it's not in a deal that sees a different veteran defenseman going back to Detroit.
Then, there's the (potential) hang-up of Holl's contract. He signed a three-year contract worth $3.4 million per season last summer, and given his struggles to make himself a fixture in the Red Wings lineup at the moment, it's not clear whether a different team would want to take on two more seasons after this one of that deal for a defenseman in his mid-30s. Would it make sense for Detroit to retain for two more seasons on a deal it signed six months ago to make a trade possible? We don't know how Yzerman feels about that question, but I'm inclined to guess it's a no.
Lalonde admits Holl's current status as an entrenched scratch isn't ideal. "We had a rotation early on, and we've kinda gotten away from that, so obviously not a perfect situation for him," Lalonde said. But, for the moment, it's reality, and that's something Holl understands to be a part of his chosen profession.
When asked what the key is to staying prepared for whenever the moment comes that he is called on again, Holl replied, "it's just staying confident and making sure you keep believing in yourself. It's easy to feel like you're not a good player when you're not in the lineup, but you just got to realize this is part of the job."
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