From castaway under Mike Babcock to top-4 staple under Sheldon Keefe, this season has been a whirlwind for Leafs defenseman Justin Holl.
Keefe used to refer to Holl as a "dark horse" to have a big impact for the Maple Leafs at the NHL level, during their time together with the AHL Toronto Marlies. Well now, the speculation is over. Justin Holl has been a horse for the Buds indeed.
After being scratched for the vast majority of the 2018-19 season, Holl has suited up in 38 of the Leafs' 40 contests this season - his only two scratches coming under Babcock - and has not looked out of place for a single shift. Justin Holl is absolutely an NHL-caliber defenseman.
On Tuesday, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas took care of one piece of business after returning from New Jersey on Monday, when he inked Holl, 27, to a three-year extension worth $6M (a $2M AAV).
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Sure, you could make an argument that paying a 27-year old with 51 career NHL games $2M per season over the next three seasons is a bit of a gamble, but what this contract does is provide cost-certainty for a top-4 defenseman for three more seasons.
The contract is rather low-risk, really, as a $2M contract is not hard to move if things go south from here. There's also the fact that the Leafs only had one defenseman under contract for next season (Morgan Reilly) with any real experience at the NHL level. Someone has to play the minutes.
Interestingly enough, Steve "Dangle" Glynn points out that Holl is "from Minnesota and played his university hockey in Minnesota. Today the Leafs announced his contract extension - in Minnesota."
What a class move by Kyle Dubas. This will allow Holl to celebrate in style with his family and friends who are sure to be in attendance for the Leafs/Wild game on Tuesday night.
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There is still much work to be done on filling the holes that will remain on the blueline for next season, but, in this writer's opinion, inking Holl for 3 more years was a great first step.
