Peter Holland was a late addition to the starting lineup and played nearly 10 minutes against the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
That appearance may be the final time the forward will be seen in a Maple Leafs uniform, as Holland did not travel with the club on their three-game road trip starting on Tuesday in Edmonton.
Holland met with GM Lou Lamoriello over the weekend and the Toronto native was told that he would be staying home.
“At this time, it appears that Peter's future with the club is limited and Lou will do his best to trade him.… Holland’s agent Joe Resnick told TSN’s Darren Dreger. “Lou also stated that Peter not go on the road trip during this time frame."
The former Anaheim Ducks first round pick was acquired by Toronto in November 2013 for defenseman Jesse Blacker and two draft picks and scored a career-high 11 goals for the Leafs in 2014-15.
The 25-year-old was a healthy scratch for a significant stretch last season and was shifted between center and wing by Leafs head coach Mike Babcock when he began to play regularly in the second half. In 65 games, Holland scored a career-high 27 points.
Peter Holland not on trip was not his decision. It was a decision made by Leaf management. Certainly appears his days are done with team.
— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) November 29, 2016
Holland’s tenuous status with the Leafs began to show over the summer, when the club placed him on waivers and the center asked for $2.1 Million in salary arbitration. The two sides settled on a one-year deal for $1.3 Million in late July.
This season, Holland started as the fourth line center, but lost his job and has played in just two games since journeyman Ben Smith was claimed off of waivers from Colorado.
Toronto traveled with Josh Leivo as their only extra forward. Leivo is currently unavailable since he is on the non-roster/injury list and would only be available if a roster spot opens up.
Holland has offensive ability and might draw some interest from teams looking for forward depth, but his $1.3 Million salary might be too rich, which could force the Leafs to take a salary back or they may place the 25-year-old on waivers to send him to the AHL.
Toronto takes on Edmonton for the second time this month. The first match was the much ballyhooed debut meeting between 2015 top pick Connor McDavid and 2016 top pick Auston Matthews, but Nazem Kadri stole the show with a two-goal performance and by playing physically and shutting down McDavid.
Babcock will endeavor to get that matchup once again, but will have a tough time with the Oilers having the last change.
William Nylander returns to the Leafs lineup after missing the 4-2 win over Washington with an upper-body injury. Nylander will center the fourth line between Matt Martin and Ben Smith, while Nikita Soshnikov will remain with Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov and Connor Brown will stay with Zach Hyman and Auston Matthews.
The goaltending matchup will be Frederik Andersen for Toronto and Cam Talbot for Edmonton.
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