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Alexander Holtz

Depth Wingers Will Define Golden Knights’ Summer

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The Vegas Golden Knights are back in familiar ground – bounced from a hardy playoff run that didn’t have the legs, and gearing up for a summer with minimal cap space. It’s a situation the young franchise has already landed in, and weaseled out of, multiple times before – but the 2025 summer will offer a particular challenge. Vegas is only projected to have $9.62MM in cap space this summer, per PuckPedia. They’ll have to use that money to redefine the bottom-six, with seven different depth wingers all set to hit the open market this summer.

Some of those pending free agents should be easy to re-sign. Jonas Rondbjerg has averaged just 19 NHL games a season over the last four years, and has just 10 points in 76 career games to show for it. He’s a bump-and-grind AHL winger who shouldn’t cost more than league-minimum to re-up. Much of the same can be said for Cole Schwindt, who seemed mounted for a breakout with 42 NHL games this year, but ended the year with only eight points.

But the mission quickly gets complicated as Vegas looks to parse through the remaining names. Original Golden Knight Reilly Smith seems destined on re-signing with the club, after making a return from the New York Rangers at the 2025 Trade Deadline. He scored 69 points in 134 games in one-and-a-half seasons away from Sin City, and closed the season with 15 points in 32 games in a muddied role with the Golden Knights. Smith had a career-year in his last full season with Vegas – netting 26 goals and 56 points in the Cup-winning 2022-23 season – and age hasn’t seemed to slow him down one bit. With only a few years left in his career, a modest deal for both sides could ensure Smith plays his 1,000th career game, and retires, in the city he’s spent the bulk of his NHL career.

Victor Olofsson also seems worthy of another trial run. He wasn’t nearly as productive as Vegas might’ve hoped for last summer, but 15 goals and 29 points in 56 games is still a commendable season. That put Olofsson on an 82-game pace of 22 goals and 42 points, which would have been the most he’s scored since notching his career-high 49 points in the 2021-22 season. Olofsson also made the first playoff appearance of his career this season, and managed a commendable four points in nine games. Those are impressive results for a man receiving a $1.08MM salary. An assured role will likely require a boost in pay, but Vegas could hold onto good value even with a slight raise.

Smith and Olofsson could take up the bulk of what Vegas is hoping to spend on building out their bottom-six. That could leave a tough decision between Brandon Saad and Alexander Holtz, with pros and cons underlining each. Saad is a true veteran of the NHL and managed 14 points in 29 games with the Golden Knights while battling around routine injuries. He’s scored more than 20 goals and 40 points in two of the last four seasons – intercut by a season of 37 points and 30 points. Those aren’t bad numbers for a 32-year-old winger, especially one with Stanley Cup precedent and game-1,000 nearing.

Holtz is on the other side of his career, with just 46 points in 163 career games and a career-high of 28 points set last season. He only scored 12 points in 53 games this year, as he continued to struggle for ground in the lineup through a move to the Golden Knights. But Holtz was a seventh-overall pick just five years ago, and is still anticipating a breakout season. He’s under more team control as a restricted free agent, and would be a cheaper buy than Saad, but also brings plenty more risk to a Golden Knights club closer to another Stanley Cup run than any sort of rebuild.

Three modestly priced extensions, and a pair of league-minimum deals, will give Vegas plenty to work with as they build a lineup for next season. It also leaves just enough room for a cheap free agent addition. Any re-signed wingers would bolster the flanks behind Pavel Dorofeyev, Ivan Barbashev, Nicolas Roy, and Brett Howden – giving Vegas a very similar makeup to what they’ve rolled out for the last few seasons. But in deciding who to bring back, the Golden Knights will be laying out their preferences between original heritage, shooting luck, veteran presence, and young potential. What they make of those profiles could go a long way in defining Vegas’ chances at maintaining their yearly playoff presence in the seasons to come.

Photo courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.

Golden Knights Recall Alexander Holtz

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After spending the last two months in the minors, Alexander Holtz is getting another NHL shot.  The Golden Knights have recalled the winger according to the NHL’s Media Portal while Danny Webster relays (Twitter link) that Holtz was on the third line in the morning skate.

The 23-year-old was acquired at the draft last year from New Jersey with Vegas hoping that a change of scenery could help unlock things for the 2020 seventh overall selection.  However, that didn’t exactly happen.  Holtz had a limited role with the Golden Knights in the first half of the season, notching just three goals and eight assists in 49 games while averaging 11:31 per night.  That playing time was similar to last season with the Devils when Holtz put up 16 goals and 12 helpers while playing all 82 games.  Instead of taking a step forward, he took a step back offensively.

That resulted in the Golden Knights taking a step back with Holtz when they assigned him to AHL Henderson in early February.  He certainly had more success with the Silver Knights, tallying seven goals and six assists in 16 appearances to earn this promotion.

It’s one that could be short-lived, however.  Webster notes (Twitter link) that winger Victor Olofsson was held out of the game day skate due to illness but could still play tonight against Seattle.  In that case, emergency conditions would no longer apply, meaning Holtz would either have to be returned to Henderson or be converted to one of their four post-deadline regular recalls.

In other Vegas news, Webster adds that center Jack Eichel remains listed as day-to-day and won’t suit up against the Kraken.  However, center Tomas Hertl was a full participant in the morning skate and appears to be set to play on the second line so they will at least get one impact center back for this one as they look to get one spot closer to clinching the Pacific Division title.  Hertl missed a little more than two weeks with a shoulder injury but still sits second on the Golden Knights in goals with 33 and third on the team in points with 59 in 70 games.

Golden Knights Place William Karlsson on LTIR, Recall Three

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The Vegas Golden Knights are spending their final days before the 4-Nations Face-Off break by jumping through salary cap hoops. They’ve announced a litany of roster moves intended to maximize their cap space accrued from long-term injured reserve, all captured by PuckPedia. Vegas first recalled winger Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid, then reassigned center Raphael Lavoie. Those moves placed them $135K under the cap ceiling. Vegas then placed top center William Karlsson on long-term injured reserve and recalled forward Jonas Rondbjerg, which they wouldn’t have been able to afford without shelving Karlsson. By recalling two players and getting as close to the cap ceiling as they could before moving Karlsson, Vegas maximized the amount of LTIR cap relief they were provided. They now sit with $5.133MM in available cap space, but will be one contract’s worth of cap over the limit when Karlsson is back to full health.

The string of moves were a great exercise in how to leverage the NHL’s LTIR policies, but Vegas will still be worse for wear without Karlsson. The 32-year-old centerman hasn’t played since January 20th, when he sustained a lower-body injury against the St. Louis Blues. He was immediately ruled out week-to-week, and the team still didn’t have a clear timeline for his return 10 days later. An LTIR placement will now force him out of the lineup through at least February 24th, the second game after Vegas returns from break.

Karlsson has continued to serve as a top center for the Golden Knights, but his season has been filled with abnormal scoring struggles. He has just 18 points in 38 games on the year, and was amidst a seven-game scoring slump prior to his injury. Karlsson has one assist in 10 games since the start of 2025. He’s still provided strong performances for the Golden Knights away from the scoresheet. He currently sits with a fantastic 58.9 percent faceoff win-rate that ranks Karlsson fifth among all NHL centers. Karlsson has also recorded 89 shots on goal and a plus-seven, respectively ranking him third and fifth among the team’s forwards.

Those numbers represent an impact that’ll be hard for Vegas to replace. Their flurry of moves leaves the task of filling in up to Rondbjerg and Holtz. The latter has far-and-away been the more popular fixture of Vegas’ lineup. Holtz has scored 11 points in 49 games this season, while Rondbjerg hasn’t yet scored through 10 appearances. The duo should both earn ice-time on Vegas’ left wing while the team deals with absences to Karlsson, Lavoie, Cole Schwindt, and Tanner Pearson.

Pacific Notes: Chernyshov, Pettersson, Holtz, Barr

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Sharks 2024 second-round pick Igor Chernyshov has officially found a place to play this season. As he said was likely the case last week, he’s inked a scholarship and development agreement with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League, per the club.

The 33rd overall pick in June was originally supposed to remain in his native Russia next season. He had one year left on his contract with Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League, but he bought himself out of the deal last week and subsequently signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks.

Chernyshov, 18, will attend training camp for a brief period in San Jose before being returned to Saginaw, likely for the entire 2024-25 campaign. Doing so will slide the beginning of his entry-level contract to 2025-26.

The 6’3″, 203-lb winger had three goals and one assist for four points in 34 KHL games last season. He was much more productive in the junior ranks, posting 28 points (13 G, 15 A) in 22 games with MHK Dynamo Moscow.

More out of the Pacific Division:

  • When Chernyshov’s move to Saginaw was announced this morning, there was a brief thought that Ducks 2024 second-rounder Lucas Pettersson might join him in Michigan. That won’t be the case, however. Sources told Max Miller of The Hockey News and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic that he’ll remain in his native Sweden after being selected by the Spirit in the CHL Import Draft. Pettersson, 18, was selected two picks after Chernyshov in June. He’ll likely get some action in the pros with MoDo Hockey of the Swedish Hockey League, but could still spend a solid chunk of 2024-25 with their junior team. The 5’11” center was one of the Swedish junior circuit’s leading scorers last season, posting 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) in 44 games for MoDo’s U-20 club.
  • The Golden Knights bought low on 2020 seventh-overall pick Alexander Holtz this summer, only parting ways with depth forward Paul Cotter and a 2025 third-rounder to acquire him and Akira Schmid from the Devils. Speaking to reporters, Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Holtz was “a player we had tremendous regard for as an amateur. We’re taking a swing at his upside and what a change can do sometimes for young players” (via James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now). McCrimmon thinks Holtz has “untapped potential that we feel we can unlock here to some degree with the opportunity,” he added. With Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson among the key departures from Vegas’ forward group this summer, Holtz will be relied upon as a top-nine scoring option for the Knights in 2024-25 with the potential to challenge for top-six minutes. The 22-year-old had 28 points in 82 games in New Jersey last year.
  • The Ducks have added to their minor-league coaching staff, hiring Dave Barr as an assistant for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, per a team release. Barr, 63, spent last season as an assistant with the Chicago Wolves during their one year of operating independently of an NHL affiliation. He has 12 years of experience as an assistant at the game’s highest level, spending time on benches for the Avalanche, Wild, Devils, Sabres, Panthers and Sharks from 2008 to 2020. Before joining the Wolves last season, he spent two years as the head coach of the Vienna Capitals in Austria’s ICEHL.

New Jersey Devils Recall Eight Players

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The New Jersey Devils announced multiple additions to their 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs roster today in the form of eight Black Aces from the AHL’s Utica Comets:

F Graeme Clarke
F Nolan Foote
F Brian Halonen
F Alexander Holtz
F Tyce Thompson
D Šimon Nemec
D Topias Vilén
G Nico Daws

Clarke, a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, tallied 25 goals and 33 assists in 68 regular-season games for the Comets and added six points in six playoff games. Foote, initially a Tampa Bay Lightning first-round pick in the 2019 draft, notched 37 points in 55 games for the Comets this season and added a goal in six games for New Jersey.

Halonen, an undrafted free agent signing late last season out of Michigan Tech, recorded 17 goals and 13 assists in 57 games with Utica in his first full professional season. Holtz, the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, had the most NHL experience this season out of any of the above recalls and scored three goals and an assist in 19 games with the Devils.

Thompson, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft, scored 26 points in 56 games for the Comets after missing most of the 2021-22 campaign with an injury.

The Devils also added two promising young defenders to their playoff roster in Nemec and Vilén. Nemec, the second overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, broke out for 34 points in 65 games with the Comets in his post-draft year, a remarkable feat for a 19-year-old. Vilén, 20, played one playoff game for Utica after playing nearly all of the 2022-23 season with Pelicans in the Finnish Liiga.

Daws, 22, posted a .904 save percentage and two shutouts in 33 games for Utica after making 25 appearances for New Jersey in the 2021-22 season.

New Jersey Devils Reassign Alexander Holtz

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The New Jersey Devils have cleared a roster spot by sending prospect Alexander Holtz back to the minor leagues, but don’t get too excited. Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com tweets that there is no imminent trade, and that the team just wanted to get the young forward some game reps.

Holtz, 21, has only appeared in 19 games for the Devils this season, and even when he is in the lineup, he barely sees the ice. Averaging just over ten minutes a game, there have been several matches where Holtz has received fewer than ten shifts. He has just one NHL game since January 7, and has only appeared three times in the AHL this season.

Getting him some actual playing experience is important, especially given how well he transitioned to the AHL last year. In 52 games, Holtz scored 26 goals to lead the Utica Comets and showed that he was already advanced for that level.

Now, with Jack Hughes getting closer to a return and the Devils poking around on other forward additions, Holtz might as well go back to start playing regularly in the minor leagues.

New Jersey Devils Recall Three Players

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Ahead of their game against the New York Rangers tonight, the New Jersey Devils have made several recalls. Alexander Holtz, Kevin Bahl, and Nico Daws have all been brought up, giving them some extra bodies to help cover a few absences.

Nathan Bastian is going for imaging today on a shoulder injury according to Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com, and team reporter Amanda Stein explains that Daws is up to cover for Akira Schmid, who is feeling ill.

The trio of young players is a reminder that the Devils, tied for first in the NHL with 18 wins, have a number of extra high-level prospects at every position. Holtz, 20, was the seventh overall pick in 2020 and has played just 13 NHL games so far. Bahl, still just 22, was a key part in the Taylor Hall trade and has played just 27. Daws, incredibly, has actually seen the most action in a single season of the three, playing 25 games for the Devils last year when they had so many goaltending injuries.

For a team already finding a ton of success with their young NHL roster, the number of impressive players in the system could lead to a long-term window of contention.

New Jersey Devils Send Holtz, Bahl To AHL

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In the midst of a 13-game winning streak, the New Jersey Devils aren’t about to change the lineup. So young players that are unable to get any action will need to play somewhere. Today, Alexander Holtz and Kevin Bahl have both been loaned back to the Utica Comets of the AHL.

Holtz, 20, was the seventh overall pick in 2020 and has shown flashes of offensive brilliance in his limited NHL experience. It has been limited though, with the young forward only making it into four games this season and 13 overall.

Last year, Holtz was a dominant force for the Comets, scoring 26 goals and 51 points in 52 games. He was obviously going to outgrow the minor leagues but with an inconsistent NHL performance, found himself on the outside looking in as things started to go right in New Jersey. While he may already be better than the vast majority of AHL players, he needs to play somewhere.

Bahl, meanwhile, brings a rather similar story. The hulking 6’6″ defender was beating up on AHL competition last season, and ended up seeing 17 games with the Devils. This year, after New Jersey made several additions to the blue line, he’s been limited to just three. It doesn’t do the 22-year-old much use sitting in the press box every night, even if there is some value in practicing with the big club.

It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see one or both back soon, but this will allow them to get back in the swing of things and shake off any rust that may have accumulated.

Devils Notes: Trade Deadline Plans, Bratt, Ruff, Holtz, Bahl

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October 24th, at home against the Washington Capitals. That is the last time the New Jersey Devils lost a hockey game. The loss brought the team to 3-3-0 on the season, not ideal, but on the heels of a three-game win streak, things appeared to be looking up despite the loss. Fast forward nearly three weeks and the team finds itself 11-3-0, riding an eight-game win streak heading into tonight’s matchup at home agains the Arizona Coyotes. The team’s recent play now has many believing the rebuilding Devils are finally back to the elite squad they were for much of the 1990’s and 2000’s and that has, in turn, made many wonder what the team’s plans are shaping up to be for the trading season. NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky sat down with Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald to discuss that topic and several others.

On making trades and the deadline itself, Fitzgerald said he’d like to see more and to evaluate where the team stands after 20 games and 40 games. The veteran executive added that he prefers to build his teams through the offseason rather than through the trade deadline. Still, Fitzgerald didn’t rule out the possibility of trading assets for rentals, but made clear that would have to be dependent on the team’s situation at the time. As Fitzgerald says, “[i]f I can make a hockey trade that improves our club, then yeah, I’ll explore that.”

  • On star winger Jesper Bratt, who is currently signed to a one-year, $5.45MM contract that will leave him a RFA this offseason, Fitzgerald disagrees with the common labeling of the pact as a “prove it” deal. The GM explained that the negotiation this summer was challenging, but that both sides were interested in a long-term agreement. The one-year deal made sense, given a looming arbitration hearing that likely both sides wanted to avoid and perhaps still far apart in negotiations, an amicable agreement such as this one that gets the job done and allows negotiations to start up again this winter, would be a wise one for team and player. In fact, Fitzgerald reiterated his excitement to restart negotiations on a long-term deal come January. Through 14 games this season, Bratt has 18 points, a 105-point pace over 82 games.
  • One topic Fitzgerald is hesitant to discuss is the contract status of head coach Lindy Ruff. During the dying minutes of New Jersey’s home opener loss to the Detroit Red Wings, fans at the Prudential Center began chanting for Fitzgerald to fire the coach, however that tone has of course changed. Still, Fitzgerald isn’t willing to make a move. The GM applauded the coach’s ability to have the team “explode offensively” just as his Dallas Stars teams were able to, but cautioned the eagerness to extend the veteran coach. Given the team’s rocky start, which came on the heels of two difficult seasons under Ruff, followed by an impressive stretch recently, it’s understandable why the organization would wait to make a decision on the future of their coach.
  • Finally, Fitzgerald and Novozinsky discussed the playing time of prospects, namely forward Alexander Holtz and defenseman Kevin Bahl, who have played four and three games this year, respectively. Fitzgerald explained his reasoning for keeping the pair on the roster despite being able to send both to the AHL, where they could play more regularly, saying that he would like them to be able to adjust to the pace of the NHL game, which they can get in practice. In other words, Fitzgerald explained that he believes both are better off practicing regularly in the NHL than playing regularly in the AHL. The executive made clear that this decision was one made with the development of both players in mind.

Snapshots: Sharks Coach, Tavares, Top Prospects

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As their rebuild continues, the San Jose Sharks unexpectedly had to address a gaping hole in that of their GM position after former GM Doug Wilson stepped down. The organization took its time to find the perfect candidate, eventually hiring former Sharks player Mike Grier. The team was also tasked with finding another head coach after they fired previous head coach Bob Boughner. Like the GM position, the Sharks have taken their time to find their newest hire.

It appears though that the search is over, based on a series of Tweets from the Sharks, which in effect announced that the team will name its new head coach tomorrow at 11:00 am PT/2:00 pm ET. The team did not formally announce who it is that they are hiring to fill the position, but several sources indicated late last week that the Sharks were “zeroing in on” David Quinn, formerly the head coach of the New York Rangers. Quinn, who was let go after the shortened 2020-21 season, spent three seasons as the bench boss in Manhattan, his only three as a head coach in the NHL, compiling a record of 96-87-25 for a Rangers team that was working its way out of a rebuild. If it is in fact Quinn that gets the job, he will be placed in a rather similar situation to what he had with the Rangers: bring the team through and out of the rebuild.

  • Working with very limited cap space, the Toronto Maple Leafs have done their best to improve this offseason, changing out their entire goaltending duo for a new one and adding a few pieces, most notably headlined by winger Calle Jarnkrok, who signed a four-year deal with Toronto in free agency. To improve further, Toronto will have to look in-house for certain players to step up and one of those is captain John Tavares. In a recent interview, the veteran center told Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star that he has spent this summer training with Maple Leafs development staff, working to be a quicker skater. As Tavares said, “For me, obviously just trying to be a little quicker, a little lighter on my feet. I think that’s really important.” Tavares’ skating has certainly never been revered as his best asset, however the soon-to-be 32-year-old will need to at the least maintain his skating ability to continue to produce at the elite level that is expected of him and his $11MM cap hit that he carries for three more seasons.
  • The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has released the latest edition of the NHL’s Top 50 prospects, now incorporating players from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft into the list (subscription required). Interestingly, number one overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky comes in at number ten on the list, behind fellow 2022 draftees Matthew Savoie (No. 9), Logan Cooley (No. 5), Simon Nemec (No. 4), and Shane Wright (No. 3). The list might be most appealing to fans of the New Jersey Devils, who have Nemec as well as Alexander Holtz (No. 17) and Luke Hughes (No. 2). Taking the top spot on Wheeler’s list was last year’s number one overall pick, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power.

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