Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Rumors: Will Justin Holl move away with Jake McCabe now on the team?

Toronto Maple Leafs v Carolina Hurricanes
Justin Holl in action during an NHL game

NHL Twitter has been abuzz with rumors of Justin Holl moving away from the Toronto Maple Leafs after they signed Jake McCabe. The information was first shared by Frank Seravalli while giving his opinion on the Leafs' trade options.

Seravalli said:

"Connecting dots on Leaf's cap after McCabe/Lafferty trade: 1. Either Toronto is not planning to activate Matt Murray until the playoffs. 2. Or Toronto is now moving one of Kerfoot / Engvall / Holl before the deadline. Seems to be some smoke recently with Kerfoot and Canucks"

Fans gave the news a thumbs up, terming this trade necessary with the playoffs in mind.

"Moving Holl/ Kerfoot has to be a priority Holl is too prone to making careless mistakes," one fan said. "Plus Lilejgren is best RH shot. He & McCabe would be fun as Lilly has found a physical element. Kerfoot making the money he is as a 4th liner is not ideal."

There has been a dip in Justin Holl's performances, which has forced the club to look for other options. Moreover, with the addition of Jake McCabe, the number of defensemen in the Leafs squad has increased to eight, meaning they have enough space to offload players and ease the salary cap.

With McCabe potentially having more game time for the rest of the season, it makes no sense to hold on to a player with no future at the club.

As such, it's likely Holl will be traded sooner rather than later.

Justin Holl's career stats

Justin Holl made his professional debut in 2017 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and has played over 260 games in this period. He averages over 19 minutes per game on the ice, scoring 11 goals while assisting 66 at a shooting percentage of 4.6.

Toronto Maple Leafs' 2022-23 season

The Toronto Maple Leafs have played well and are currently second in the Atlantic Division with 82 points. The Leafs have done well offensively to score 207 goals this season, primarily through William Nylander and Auston Matthews.

The Leafs have defended well this season, conceding around 2.6 goals per game on average. The goaltenders have played their part, with Ilya Samsonov leading the pack with a save percentage of 0.918.

With the addition of Jake McCabe, the team has strengthened its defense and looks in great shape for the upcoming challenges.

Having won their last three games, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in a strong position and will look to continue in the same vein when they face the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, March 2.

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