4. Alexander Holtz
Remaining contract: 1 year, $894,167
When the New Jersey Devils trade Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid to the Vegas Golden Knights for Paul Cotter and a third-round pick, fans were up in arms. It happened on the same day as the Marino trade, causing some to miss the Marino trade when it happened completely. The Holtz-Schmid-Cotter trade caused very urgent opinions (including from yours truly). It seemed like a huge loss, with a player who was once considered the centerpiece of the Timo Meier trade now sent off to Vegas for a bottom-six player and a mid-round pick. On top of it, they sent away the goalie who helped the Devils beat the Rangers in the playoffs a season before.
Holtz has not done anything in Vegas despite getting the chance he’s been asking for since he was drafted seventh-overall in 2020. That opportunity is already gone, and Holtz is once again playing around 10 minutes per night. He’s a fourth-line forward even if on paper he’s on the second or third line.
Holtz has two goals in 34 games this season. That’s really bad. Did we even need to say that? Holtz is failing in his second NHL stint. He’s not even discussed in Vegas. He’s an afterthought, which is almost worse than a bust.
When we look at the Devils' roster, there is no room for a Holtz as he’s currently developed. Something just went wrong with him. Maybe it was the issues brought on by the pandemic, or it’s possible that he was asked to focus on certain parts of his game, and it caused him to do the wrong things when it comes to building NHL skill. It just is hard to think Holtz is going to be a long-term NHL player without a reset in Sweden or something of that ilk.