• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Seattle Kraken

Dermott and Holl Are Two Maple Leafs the Kraken May be Circling [Video]

By Eugene Helfrick December 16th, 2020

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

With the Seattle Kraken expansion draft less than a year away, every team across the NHL is looking at their roster and starting to decide which players should be protected, and who could be expendable.

In a recent conversation with Lead Off, NHL insider Luke Fox discussed a few Toronto Maple Leafs that could potentially be available at the expansion draft. In the clip, defensemen Travis Dermott and Justin Holl were highlighted as players who could draw a lot of interest from the Kraken.

When you think about a player that the Maple Leafs could lose at the expansion draft, it’s easy to imagine that it would be a young forward given their overall depth. However, a defenseman like Dermott or Holl would be highly appealing to a new franchise that is attempting to build a competitive roster.

First we will discuss Holl, who is older than Dermott but will only be 29-years-old at the expansion draft and is signed through 2023 at a reasonable $2 million cap hit. While his statistics aren’t particularly noteworthy, he still could be a solid bottom-six defenseman with room to grow with a new franchise.

Justin Holl Toronto Maple Leafs
Defenseman Justin Holl could be a potential target for the Seattle Kraken at the 2021 expansion draft. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

If the Kraken want a younger defenseman who is still developing but has a lot of upside, then Dermott could be a perfect fit. At age 23, he has already played 157 NHL games with the Maple Leafs, and while his role with the franchise isn’t huge, he is still taking on 17 minutes of ice time each night over the last two seasons.

While the Maple Leafs would likely want to keep Dermott, he is a restricted free agent heading into the 2021 offseason, meaning that they may bot be able to afford him. This could work out well for Seattle, as they will have plenty of cap space to work out an extension and could have a potential fixture on their blue line for years to come.

Seattle Shouldn’t Be Shy in Drafting Defensemen

If Seattle can learn anything from the Vegas Golden Knights’ expansion draft, it is that you can never have too many defensemen on your roster. While at the moment it appeared that Vegas may have gone a bit overboard with their selections, they were able to not only build a solid defensive corps but also flip some defenders for valuable draft picks.

Related: The NHL’s Top 5 Defenses

With this in mind, it would make perfect sense for the Kraken to go after players like Holl or Dermott from Toronto. They are both experienced enough to take on a starting role now, but young enough to stick around for years to come.

And while losing either player would sting for the Maple Leafs, they should have enough talent in their pipeline to absorb the loss of either player, especially if some of their offseason acquisitions take to their new roles with the franchise.

  • Tags
  • Justin Holl
  • Travis Dermott
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 23rd 2:20 PM
Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins’ Pierre-Oliver Joseph Shines in NHL Debut

Jan 23rd 2:10 PM
Anaheim Ducks

Ducks Prospects: Lacombe, McLaughlin, Sundsvik & More

Jan 23rd 2:00 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Prospects News & Rumors: Clarke, Byram & Cozens

Jan 23rd 2:00 PM
New York Islanders

Islanders’ Kieffer Bellows Adapting to New Role

Jan 23rd 1:50 PM
Calgary Flames

Flames’ Monahan Vying to Be Best Center in North Division

Jan 23rd 1:40 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

NHL Rumors: Oilers, Canucks, & Truth Behind Jets and Blue Jackets Trade

Jan 23rd 1:30 PM
Vancouver Canucks

Green Says Canucks Have Looked ‘a Little Immature at Times’ [Video]

Jan 23rd 1:20 PM
Toronto Maple Leafs

5 Reasons Maple Leafs’ Fans Are Smiling After Friday’s Win Over Oilers

Jan 23rd 12:32 PM
New Jersey Devils

Top-5 Kansas City Scouts of All-Time

Jan 23rd 12:00 PM
Column

Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Tavares, Andersen, Marner & Brooks

Editor’s Picks
2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

Wayne Gretzky Almost Joined the Detroit Red Wings

Wayne Gretzky Almost Joined the Detroit Red Wings

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information