Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe has confirmed defenceman Justin Holl will be a healthy scratch for Saturday's game against the Detroit Red Wings.
"Justin Holl has not played near his level that we come to expect," said Keefe on Friday. "He's earned a greater degree of expectations and responsibility here through his play and the way he's performed for us, but hasn't been to that level here to start with. He's not the only one, but he's not gonna play tomorrow.
"We wanted to move some things around and see how that looks tomorrow."
Keefe broke up the long-time second pairing of Holl and Jake Muzzin. Timothy Liljegren, who's played in two games this season, is expected to draw in to the lineup.
Here were the Maple Leafs defensive pairs at practice Friday:
Rielly - Dermott
Muzzin - Brodie
Sandin - Liljegren
Holl, 29, has played in 7 of 8 games for the 3-4-1 Maple Leafs this season, has yet to register a point and is a minus-7. His only missed game was an Oct. 16 3-1 win against the Ottawa Senators when he was out with an illness.
After several years in the minors, followed by a lot of time spent as a healthy scratch, Holl broke out in 2019-20 as a key member of the Maple Leafs' blue line. That season he played in 68 games, recording 12 points and a plus-13.
The 2020 second-round pick brought his play to an even higher level in 2020-21 when he produced 20 points and a plus-16 playing in 55 of Toronto's 56 regular-season games.
Holl is currently on the second year of a three-year, $6-million deal he signed with the Maple Leafs in December 2019.
