Peter Holland Clears Waivers

Restricted Free Agent Peter Holland cleared waivers this afternoon with no team claiming the arbitration-pending centerman. Holland elected salary arbitration this summer and is set for a hearing on Monday July 25th.

The two sides are $1.2MM apart. The Leafs are offering $900K and Holland wants $2.1MM. Toronto waived Holland yesterday in what is thought of as an attempt to prove his low worth around the league. The thinking goes that if no team is willing to claim Holland for a mere $15,000 waiver fee, he is not worth the price asked by his camp. The Minnesota Wild did the same this summer with RFA Jordan Schroeder before signing him to a one-year, two-way deal today worth $675K / $275K.

The flipside to that argument, however, is that no team wants to claim a player on the brink of a salary arbitration hearing. It is unclear if arbitration deadlines remain final in the wake of a waiver claim. The CBA does allow for postponing an arbitration hearing upon good cause (See CBA, Art. 12.9(m)), but it is unclear what constitutes good cause. If the deadlines remain fixed, the claiming team would have to submit an arbitration brief at the last second. The hassle alone may deter teams.