Quoting: GuyGuyGuy
Even if it’s 5v5, it’s still not the right stats. Newhook is the best habs player in ES pts/60.
That leves us with another question : why would we want Holtz if the only thing he can do somewhat good is ES and we have Gallagher (Fourth liner next year btw) who does a similar job, while being better defensively. Not even mentionning he clearly has a problem in his play or attitude that we don’t see…
Because Alex Holtz is 22 years old and makes 900k.
List of coaches who loved Holtz: Andrew Brunette
List of coaches who have disliked Holtz: Lindy Ruff, Travis Green
I know who I'd put my money on being right.
Holtz has his defensive struggles. You will find nobody denying that. NJD wasn't a team not trying to win that could afford to give minutes to youth over veterans. Montreal is a team like that.
There is no problem you can't see. Holtz made some bad turnovers and was the whipping boy who got it blown out of proportion while NJD opted to give more "safe" players ice time.
Newhook has been quite good 5v5. I've been very impressed with him. (They didn't like him in colorado).
Gallagher is frankly better than most of MTLs forwards 5v5. Other than Suzuki, Caufield, Newhook, and Slaf, no other forward MTL has was better than Gallagher.
Also Gallagher is a volume guy, Holtz is a sniper. They aren't the same role.
Again, this isn't to say that this trade isn't an underpayment. I'd say, IF MTL decides that guys like Xhekaj, Struble, Harris are part of the future, drop the 1st going to NJD and make it a 2nd.
That would be valuing Guhle as 1st+1st+3rd.
But I believe MTL should simply keep Guhle.