The Free Press’s Helene St. James discusses Red Wings defenseman Justin Holl this morning. The 32-year-old with 2 years remaining on his $3.4 million contract believes that he can push the reset button after a frustrating season spent going in and out of the Wings’ lineup last year:
“I can just maintain a narrow focus,” Holl said Tuesday. “That’s kind of all I can do. As a player, you learn to control what you can. For me, that’s just trying to perform as well as I can — every practice, every game, and let the chips fall where they may.
“I think every year you have to continue to prove yourself. So from the mental standpoint, not much changes. But it’s definitely something where I’m highly motivated. I obviously want to be a big part of the team and I know I can be. That’s the main focus for me.”
Yzerman signed Holl on July 1, 2023. A month and a half later, Yzerman traded for Jeff Petry, another right-shot defenseman. Holl played fairly regularly early on, but then ended up a healthy scratch game after game as the Wings enjoyed a season with almost no injuries to their defense corps.
“Nobody likes that feeling,” Holl said. “Everybody wants to be in the lineup every night. I’ve tasted that feeling and I’ve known what it’s like to be a big part of a team. Nothing else will do once you’ve tasted that. That’s where I want to be.”
Management has disagreed with Holl’s lack of usage but ultimately has let the decision be that of the coaching staff. So far at camp, it’s a crowded field again: Petry, Moritz Seider, Ben Chiarot and Simon Edvinsson project to be in the top four, and Olli Määttä and Erik Gustaffson to make up the third pairing. That would seem to leave Holl and Albert Johansson, a draft pick from 2019, as reserves, but there are still games to be played in the exhibition season.
Coach Derek Lalonde said he has “full confidence in Justin. It was just last year, we were in a situation where we were very healthy all year on the back end. So just bring your game, do the things you’re good at, defend, be hard to play against, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Continued (paywall) with an embedded video:
Update: Here’s more from the Hockey News’s Connor Eargood:
“I feel confident on the ice. I feel like I know what I can do, and I have done in this league,” Holl said. “So I hope that they recognize that. And I know I still feel good about where my career is going.”
That last part gets to the heart of the issue. For an athlete who is accustomed to being depended upon, being in a position where he can only hope to play games is frustrating, discouraging even. And as a 32-year-old defenseman who hasn’t played a lot on his current contract, how this season pans out could have a major impact on the back end of his career.
This isn’t just about playing in games for the Red Wings. This is about Holl proving that he can be a contributor in the NHL. And whereas a 23-year-old prospect like Johansson still has the benefit of the doubt drawn from untapped potential, an older Holl is not afforded this grace.
The path to playing time is there for Holl, whether through filling in for teammates or earning a spot through competition. Lalonde and his staff certainly aren’t shutting the door on a defenseman they still believe in. Lalonde’s message to Holl is to “Just bring your game, do the things you’re good at, defend, be hard to play against, and we’ll see where it goes from there.” Holl wants to prove he still has what it takes.
“I think that’s kind of a common theme in the NHL,” Holl said of his battle to get in the lineup. “It’s the best league in the world, and I think every year you have to continue to prove yourself. So from the mental standpoint, not much changes. But it’s definitely something where I’m highly motivated and I obviously want to be a big part of the team — and I know I can be. So that’s the main focus for me.”
