The New Jersey Devils decided that it was time to move on from Alexander Holtz this offseason. Holtz was traded with Akira Schmid to the Vegas Golden Knights for Paul Cotter and a 2025 third-round pick.
There was a lot of potential with Holtz after he was drafted seventh overall in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft. Many thought Holtz was the goal scorer the Devils needed to push them over the edge offensively. However, the Devils just never allowed him to be that player.
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Go back to the preseason. Now, everyone can say preseason was preseason. But he played with Timo Meier and Nico Hischier for seven games last preseason. That line was clicking. But for some reason, Lindy Ruff changed the lines before he was let go later in the year. That threw off the entire chemistry of the team, including Alexander Holtz. It could have affected his game.
Whether it was a coaching or management decision, the Devils tried to change him into a player he would never be – a defensive two-way forward. When a player of Holtz’s calibre is taken that high, you expect him to score goals, not be a Selke Trophy defensive forward. He was a goal scorer coming out of Sweden. You saw in the AHL that he could be that goal scorer, but he was never allowed to be that guy in New Jersey.
This goes back to Adam Larsson being on the team before he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers as part of the Taylor Hall trade. The minute that young player, whether Larsson or Holtz, made a mistake, they were benched. However, the rest of the players on the team that did the same thing were not. Go back over the last two years with Lindy Ruff and Travis Green. Yes, Holtz was given opportunities to be a top-six forward; however, he was on the bench the second he turned the puck over or lost a board battle.
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General Manager Tom Fitzgerald stated in March that he did not believe Holtz had a good year, despite comments made after the coaching change about players being benched for making mistakes. That comment was made when Travis Green was named interim head coach.
“I would say if [Holtz] changes as a player, then [his ice-time] will change,” Fitzgerald told the media back in March surrounding Holtz’s play. “He has not had a good year. I don’t believe it’s because he’s been on the fourth line. The core values that you have as a player, [being] strong on walls, puck play, puck management, are you turning pucks over? He’s shown he [can score] 13 goals in eight minutes of average ice time. It’s the other areas, the game within the game, that say a lot. It matters. Managing the lines and turnovers. Those areas have to be way better.”
Holtz ended the season with the Devils with 28 points (16 goals and 22 assists), playing in all 82 games. He was four away from 20 goals. Imagine if he hit the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career, primarily if he was used correctly. And these numbers do not indicate a player had a bad year.
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So, it begs the question: Why did the Devils not send him down to the minors earlier in the season if he was having a “bad year” before trading him this summer? Considering they wanted him to work on other parts of his game.
If you listen to what Fitzgerald said, he wants him to develop as a player in the NHL with NHL players who are scoring goals, not just in the minors.
“Well, we’re not here to point blame on anybody. I can look at myself and say, maybe Alexander Holtz should have been in the American Hockey League two years ago when we had 112 points,” Fitzgerald said at the end of the year. “But I felt that play development can also occur at the National Hockey League level when you’re practicing every day with the Nico Hischier’s, the [Jesper] Bratt’s, the Jack Hughes’ and shooting on NHL goalies and going up against NHL defenseman. Versus being down and just being able to score down in the American Hockey League. Being pushed is development. I don’t think it’s any one person or any one division. I’d like to think the players also look in the mirror and say I could be better. But at the end of the day, we were at a standstill — quite honestly — with Alex.”
However, that is why the Devils drafted him to score goals. Yes, every player can be a well-rounded player. But it seems that Alexander Holtz never fit into the Devils development plan. But one team’s loss is another team’s gain, and the Vegas Golden Knights have a diamond in the rough.
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As GM Kelly McCrimmon explained after trading for Holtz, he believes in the player, and the potential is there. It just has to be unlocked.
“We think that Alexander Holtz has got untapped potential that we feel we can unlock here to some degree with the opportunity,” McCrimmon explained to Vegas media. “He’s a player we had tremendous regard for as an amateur. We’re taking a swing at his upside, and what can a change do? Sometimes for young players.”
Sometimes, it takes a change of scenery to unlock a player’s talent—case in point: Adam Larsson years ago. Not only does a player like Holtz need the opportunity and just on occasion, but a real opportunity to show what he can do and thrive in that position. Expect him to be the goal scorer the Vegas Golden Knights need him to be with the departures of so many key players this offseason.
Is he going to have 40 goals? No, but if he can play more than a third-line role, there is a chance he can hit the 20-25 goal mark this season. If Alexander Holtz is given the ability to score goals, the rest of his game will come.
