New Jersey Devils: Can Alexander Holtz Play Himself Off Roster?

Just a few weeks ago, the New Jersey Devils thought they had the perfect first line. Jack Hughes, Ondrej Palat, and Alexander Holtz were killing it in scrimmages and in their first two preseason games together. Then, Lindy Ruff decided to try Holtz in other areas of the lineup. On Thursday night, he tied Holtz with fellow Swedes Jesper Boqvist and Fabian Zetterlund in what could only be described as a bad night.

The Devils lost to the New York Islanders 5-2. Outside of Mackenzie Blackwood, a couple of defensemen, and a few players fighting for spots, the Devils basically put out an AHL lineup. Still, those players fighting for spots had a chance to stand out. One of those players, and arguably the one with the most eyeballs, was Holtz.

He was looking to prove he was more than a feeding tool. Holtz is a sniper. Goals are all that matter. That’s what Holtz is trying to disprove this offseason. We know he worked hard with Jesper Bratt and his trainer during the offseason. We saw the impacts of that in the early parts of camp.

Now, Holtz has gone four games in the preseason without a goal. He only has one assist in those four games. He’s been pretty unlucky because his ixG is the third-best on the team. He also has four individual high-danger chances.

Alex Holtz hasn’t exactly locked in his spot in the opening night lineup for the New Jersey Devils.

Where the Devils are probably most impressed is with Holtz’s ability to draw penalties. He’s averaging one minor penalty drawn per game. That ability will translate to the NHL. Even when he’s not exactly helping the Devils offensively, putting them on the power play is something Lindy Ruff will want.

Holtz numbers in a vacuum are good. His numbers in general are bad. In reality, he’s probably somewhere in between the two. The question is now whether being average was good enough for him to make the opening-night roster.

It gets a little more complicated than that. Holtz is waiver-exempt this season. He can go to the AHL without going through waivers. Fabian Zetterlund and Jesper Boqvist, who are both fighting for roster spots, are not. Are the Devils willing to pause Holtz’s start to his full-time NHL career to save Zetterlund and Bovist’s spots with the franchise?

This is a hard decision. Holtz hasn’t exactly knocked anyone’s socks off. However, there’s only so much he can learn in the AHL. He was really, really good there last season. He needs to get better in the pros. There is a big decision Tom Fitzgerald has to make about the final roster. We imagine Holtz is in the lineup on Saturday, the Devils final day in the preseason. It could be a make-or-break game for Holtz.