Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Holl, Villeneuve & Blue-Line Questions?

Could it simply be coincidence? Sure. Holl is a known NHL commodity; he’s inexpensive and can still give a team some minutes, penalty killing, and a little physical play. That’s a pretty normal depth-defenceman signing.

Still, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to believe that familiarity helped. Carbery didn’t have to wonder what he was getting. He’d already coached Holl in Toronto. When you’re filling out the bottom of your defence, having a player you trust and understand can be awfully useful. What makes this interesting for Maple Leafs fans is that Holl was a bit of a whipping boy while he was in Toronto. Yet Carbery wanted him. Interesting.

And that brings the conversation back to Toronto.

Can William Villeneuve Finally Make the Maple Leafs?

Villeneuve is 24 now, which makes this an important training camp. He’s no longer the young prospect who can simply be given another year to develop. At some point, the Maple Leafs have to decide whether he’s an NHL defenceman.

The numbers from last season with the Marlies are interesting. Villeneuve had 30 points in 61 games, including 27 assists, which put him eighth in team scoring. Those numbers aren’t bad at all. But when you look a little closer, the picture gets less convincing. He had only 13 points at even strength, and that ranked fourth among Marlies defencemen.

That matters because Villeneuve has often carried the label of an offensive defenceman. A lot of his production came on the power play, where he had enough confidence and puck-moving ability to earn time on the Marlies’ top unit. That’s a useful skill, but the Leafs need to see more than power-play points if they’re going to trust him with an NHL job.

When Villeneuve got his three-game opportunity with Toronto last season, he actually looked pretty good. Of course, the circumstances helped. The Maple Leafs’ defence was battered, exhausted and struggling to move the puck. Villeneuve came in, played a simple game for roughly 16 minutes a night, made his passes and didn’t get pushed around. He looked like a breath of fresh air.

But that’s not the same thing as proving he belongs in the NHL. So, is there a Holl connection here? Holl once played in Toronto as a dependable right-shot defenceman who could eat minutes and kill penalties. Villeneuve is now trying to prove he can establish his own version of that role.

The problem is that the Maple Leafs’ defence should be much better this season. There may not be the same opening that appeared when Villeneuve got his chance last spring. At 24, he probably needs to force the issue rather than wait for an opportunity to fall into his lap.

That makes training camp pretty important.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

Maybe Villeneuve has the puck skills, the experience and enough offensive ability to make the case. But if he wants to stick, he probably has to show that he can contribute when the power play isn’t there to help him. And that’s where Toronto’s improved defence could actually make things tougher for him.

There may be fewer openings, fewer minutes and fewer excuses. For Villeneuve, that’s not necessarily bad news. Sometimes a player finally finds out what he is when the easy opportunities disappear. This could be that year for him.