Waived: Justin Holl

[Gniwder]

You'd think they could have done a better job with the makeup, it's very obvious where the edge of the bald cap is.

 

[sxvnert]

Holl can mimic a top four D so long as he paired with an above average/elite defensive D (Muzzin) who can cover his lapses. Edvinsson is fully capable of performing that role until the playoffs when opposing teams start targeting Holl.

 

[Oddbob]

Statistically speaking, Holl was a +8 last year. It was more he got caught up in a rosters numbers crunch than being flat out terrible.

He can be useful if used right.

The +8 had way more to do with being sheltered more than anyone else on the team. There is a reason for that, he isn't good.

 

[Henkka]

The +8 had way more to do with being sheltered more than anyone else on the team. There is a reason for that, he isn't good.

Nope. It had nothing to do with sheltering. They were the best pair with Chiarot as the 2nd pair at last season start.

3rd pair is the only sheltered pair.

 

[RED WINGS STOMP]

The +8 had way more to do with being sheltered more than anyone else on the team. There is a reason for that, he isn't good.

Correct me of I am wrong, "if used right" and "being sheltered" kinda proves the point?

Holl will not be perfect, or even really good. Nobody should be expecting a #1 here. But he can be less of a disaster than Petry, Gus and Ben at times, when used right.

 

[redwings86]

This needed. Holl is quite mediocre defenseman.

 

[redwings86]

Holl covers $3,4 million money.

 

[Dotter]

I'd rather AJ be on the bottom pairing, but Holl isn't the reason why Detroit sucks so far this season. I think coaching needs to be addressed. Wings have the talent to do much better if they learn how to play cohesively.

 

[redwings86]

Wings have the talent to do much better if they learn how to play cohesively.

The Red Wings are talented really mixed with fixed stars really so.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

I'd rather AJ be on the bottom pairing, but Holl isn't the reason why Detroit sucks so far this season. I think coaching needs to be addressed. Wings have the talent to do much better if they learn how to play cohesively.

I agree. I haven't been on the "Fire Lalonde" train so far but I'm starting to move in that direction. The team still lacks high end talent but they do have enough defensively responsible players that they should be better.

And I think this offseason was a move in that direction from Yzerman. Even if their replacements were a lateral move at best I don't think it's a coincidence that Sprong, Ghost and Fabbri didn't get re-signed.

Yzerman has said multiple times the team needs to be better defensively, and that he wasn't just talking about the defensemen.

As for Holl, he's looked better this season than he did last. If he can be in the lineup in any capacity that's useful, that's a win for the Wings.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I agree. I haven't been on the "Fire Lalonde" train so far but I'm starting to move in that direction. The team still lacks high end talent but they do have enough defensively responsible players that they should be better.

And I think this offseason was a move in that direction from Yzerman. Even if their replacements were a lateral move at best I don't think it's a coincidence that Sprong, Ghost and Fabbri didn't get re-signed.

Yzerman has said multiple times the team needs to be better defensively, and that he wasn't just talking about the defensemen.

As for Holl, he's looked better this season than he did last. If he can be in the lineup in any capacity that's useful, that's a win for the Wings.

He looked better than Gus in the preseason and against NYR than Gus has at any single moment this year. Just don't pair him with Maatta for the slowest defensive pair in the history of the NHL and he'll be OK.

 

[roman star]

lol at fans ripping lalonde . whose their talent beyond larkin , raymond , debrincat , seider ? very weak in goal . very weak on defense . and some over the hill wingers . whose centering the 2nd line compher ? whose the qb on defense ? whose the 2nd line high scoring wingers the over the hill crew ? this forum inhabited by chronic complainers not dealing in reality

 

[Oddbob]

Correct me of I am wrong, "if used right" and "being sheltered" kinda proves the point?

Holl will not be perfect, or even really good. Nobody should be expecting a #1 here. But he can be less of a disaster than Petry, Gus and Ben at times, when used right.

If Chiarot and Petry were sheltered they would look better too though. That is the point. There is a reason that last season even with 7 in, Lalonde still played Holl less almost every time.

 

[Oddbob]

Nope. It had nothing to do with sheltering. They were the best pair with Chiarot as the 2nd pair at last season start.

3rd pair is the only sheltered pair.

Yeah, Holl was exclusively 3rd pair when he played aside from a game or two. Check his ice time, lower than everyone else and by quite a bit. Nothing to do with numbers game, he was the worst of the 7 D last year. If he played an extra 1-3 minutes a game later on in the season and especially during the time we were really sucking with Larkin out, he would have picked up plenty of minuses.

lol at fans ripping lalonde . whose their talent beyond larkin , raymond , debrincat , seider ? very weak in goal . very weak on defense . and some over the hill wingers . whose centering the 2nd line compher ? whose the qb on defense ? whose the 2nd line high scoring wingers the over the hill crew ? this forum inhabited by chronic complainers not dealing in reality

There have been plenty of worse rosters than ours that did lots better because of better coaching. We have been saying roster excuses over coach since Blashill. At some point the coach is the issue. Playing Gus on PP1 over Seider is example 1 of bad coaching. I don't think Lalonde is a horrible coach, I think he simply just a meh coach who is a good assistant coach.