New Jersey Devils: Alexander Holtz Discourse Has Just Begun

The New Jersey Devils played Alexander Holtz with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier for most of the preseason, but with a few days left before the home opener, he was dropped to the third line. It had Devils fans throwing out outlandish opinions based on one practice. Some said it shows that Holtz can’t handle the big time, calling for him to be demoted to the Utica Comets. Others were saying this coaching staff was wasting his talents, pushing him down the lineup despite showing he’s a much better player in this training camp.

Nobody called this out for what this actually was: a small move ahead of the season opener to see where Holtz fits best. Even if Holtz moves on the line with Erik Haula and Ondrej Palat, most of us predicted he would be there before camp started.

Holtz is a complicated player for the Devils. For most teams, he would be an easy starter in the top six. His shot is lethal. He has a good work ethic off the ice. He says all the right things and is a team player. We forget Holtz was basically benched for most of last season, playing neither in the NHL nor the AHL. He was just a healthy scratch.

This season, Holtz looks demonstrably quicker on the ice. He looked like a great fit with Hischier and Meier early in training camp. It felt like the right pairing after last year’s pairing with Jack Hughes didn’t work out. Holtz couldn’t keep up with certain groups. Hischier and Meier are still fast, but they aren’t Jack Hughes fast.

Holtz was scoring in the preseason. He had two goals in four games. They did come early, but he was always in the right position. Maybe he wasn’t the best at fighting for pucks, but that will never be his strength. That’s not what the Devils need him to do. They need him to focus on where he should be, and he’s been much better at that on both offense and defense.

Just remember, this is just the lines for one game. Maybe not even. We’re reacting to a set of lines days out from the home opener. Lindy Ruff is famous for putting his lines in a blender. Maybe it’ll happen again before opening night. It will definitely happen before the end of October.

It might even work. Erik Haula played well driving plays for Jack Hughes (although Hughes was really driving the ship there). Ondrej Palat looked great in the playoffs. With Holtz still focusing on getting into position, this could just create another strength for the Devils. This is never going to be the shutdown line. Holtz won’t be put in a bad position. Let’s let this play out before making any outlandish arguments about the 21-year-old’s future with the franchise.