After Justin Holl gave Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe a “reason” to take him out of the lineup, he’s back in, albeit in a different role.
After sitting out as a healthy scratch for the first time this season, Justin Holl will be back in the lineup on Saturday when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Montreal Canadiens.
"I feel like I've been a constant throughout the lineup this year and I know where I provide value," Holl said when asked if he was surprised to find himself watching from the press box on Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. "It's just a constant process of trying to improve and that's what I'm trying to do."
On Tuesday, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said he had been looking for a reason to get 24-year-old Conor Timmins back into the lineup and Holl's game had "slipped" as of late. Holl was a -3 in a 4-3 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Timmins, playing in his first game since Jan. 27, scored a goal and was a +3 in his team's 5-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. He also took a pair of minor penalties.
But it's clear that Keefe was intent on sending a message that lasted one game. By his own admission, he wasn't going to take anything good or bad from the team's win on Wednesday given the tired opponent, and that includes any performance from Timmins.
"I didn't intend on having Justin out for too long," Keefe admitted following the team's practice on Friday. "He's played a lot of good hockey and he and (Mark) Giordano were the only two (defensemen) to play every game until that point. Those guys have taken on a lot and have been very consistent for us."
Keefe also lauded Holl's play on the penalty kill.
"On his worst day, he's a top penalty killer for us," he said. "For all of those reasons you want to get him back in but also let him know that his game had slipped."
It's not a direct return to the lineup as Giordano will continue to skate with Timothy Liljegren while Holl will be outside of his usual top-4 role. He'll skate on the third pair alongside Rasmus Sandin.
"That pair has been really good for us," Keefe said of Liljegren and Giordano. "Sandin-Holl is one we don't have a great sample on but the sample we have has been just ok, but it is a chance for Holl to come back and maybe have a bit of a different look and different assignments."
Sandin and Holl have played 107:27 together this season at 5-on-5 and have an expected goals-for percentage of just 25. It's not a true reflection of their performance together as most of the time was spent while they were in the midst of changing lines as they have not been a dedicated defense pair this season.
Last season, Sandin and Holl did play in some games as a defense pair and logged 240:15 of even strength time and had a 50 percent expected goals-for.
But the Leafs have liked what they have seen in Liljegren, who has played in stretches with Giordano both last season and this season. And Holl will still have to earn his way back up the lineup and show that his play improved following Saturday's game.
The 31-year-old Holl is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Last week, the team signed the 24-year-old Timmins to a two-year, $2.2 million contract extension.
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