What Should New Jersey Devils Do With Alex Holtz?

Alexander Holtz has become a popular subject amongst New Jersey Devils fans, and not for the right reasons. Holtz’s NHL career has gotten off to a bumpy start. Inconsistent play has led to inconsistent playtime. He’s spent the majority of this season in the press box. At one point, he was demoted to the American Hockey League. The 20-year-old Swede consistently found himself in Lindy Ruff’s doghouse in the 3rd period. It has become a regular occurrence to not see the youngster and his linemates much, or at all for that matter, in the final frame.

The latest saga in the Alex Holtz drama saw the youngster sent back to the press box in favor of Andreas Johnsson on Tuesday night. Johnsson, 28, contributed 35 points in 71 games last season. He was held scoreless in his 2022 season debut against the Stars in Holtz’s place. Holtz was back in the lineup on Thursday night, and he was even given first power-play time.

All of this brings the question, what should the Devils do with Alex Holtz now that he is seeing inconsistent play? Is sending Holtz back to the AHL the best option? Is there potential for a move elsewhere? Will he continue to bounce from the ice to the press box for the rest of the season? Your guess is as good as ours.

Let’s be honest here. Holtz has looked a step slower than everybody he’s played with and played against in his young NHL career. He is awfully similar to his recent linemates (Jesper Boqvist and Yegor Sharangovich), making it quite hard for Holtz to create any offense. Both Sharangovich and Boqvist are complimentary players, as is Holtz. None of the three can drive the offense for their line.

In addition to that, the trio does not play tremendous defense. Holtz has dominated the AHL level in his short time there, so a demotion to the American League is not the answer. In order for Holtz to see success in the NHL, he needs to be a complimentary piece on a line with a star like Jack Hughes. A player who will spoon-feed him opportunities to create offense.

Perhaps we will see a switch to the Hughes line soon. Some may remember that Holtz played with Jack Hughes and Ondrej Palat in the preseason, and the line seemed to fire on all cylinders. The short- and long-term fix that can aid Holtz’s development; allowing him to play with Hughes.

Playing with a player of Hughes’ caliber will help give the youngster some confidence and help him find the back of the net, potentially helping him become a more dynamic player, similar to what we’ve seen with Dawson Mercer. Mercer, by the way, has been awesome. He’s slowly becoming one of my favorite players. Alex Holtz can become a special player and a big piece for this Devils team at some point. He has to buy into Lindy Ruff’s system and be put in favorable positions to succeed. It’s important to remember he’s just 20 years old. Good things take time. The kid is gonna be just fine.