Both Peter Holland and the Toronto Maple Leafs were happy to move on from each other, while the Arizona Coyotes are hopeful they found a useful player for cheap.
The Coyotes and general manager John Chayka gave up very little to acquire the six-foot-two centre, with a sixth-round pick going Toronto’s way only if Arizona re-signs Holland or trades him elsewhere.
The upside is a verifiable NHLer capable of providing depth offence.
“Peter is a big, solid centereman with good NHL experience,” said Chayka in a team release. “We look forward to having him join our team.”
Holland never did fit in with Mike Babcock’s Leafs, considered too offensively deficient to play in the top six, and not defensively responsible enough to earn a role as a checker.
He did dress for 65 games in 2015-16, and had nine goals and 18 assists, while playing 14:40 a night.
The 25-year-old finished fourth among Leafs who played at least 500 minutes last season in shots per 60 minutes with 8.69, ahead of William Nylander, Tyler Bozak, Leo Komarov and Connor Brown.
The Coyotes will be Holland’s third NHL team since being drafted 15th overall in 2009 by the Anaheim Ducks, and it’ll take time to find out if his new home can prove to be a good fit.
“He should come in motivated and incentivized to play the best hockey of his career,” said Chayka.
We don’t know what Tippett plans to do with Holland, but he does provide stability down the middle should the Coyotes decide that Christian Dvorak (two goals and eight assists this season), needs more time in the AHL.
Arizona’s power play is currently connecting at a 14.3 per cent rate, good for 24th in the NHL. Holland finished tied for third on the Leafs last season with 11 power-play points, so it’s possible Arizona could use him to boost its special teams.
There’s really no downside for the Coyotes, given their place in the standings (tied with Colorado for last in the league), and with Holland’s $1.3-million contract set to expire after this season, Arizona doesn’t have to commit to the player if he’s unable to contribute.
If the low-risk move pays off however, the Coyotes will still hold Holland’s rights as a restricted free agent.