Montreal Canadiens Free Agent Signings: Peter Holland

It was another forward depth addition for the Montreal Canadiens as they signed Peter Holland to a two-year $1.35 million contract.

An organization can never have enough centres on hand. Peter Holland was the next player the Montreal Canadiens decided to take a flyer on after signing Byron Froese.

Holland was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks. He was a solid AHL player and saw sometime in the NHL with the Ducks. The 26-year-old has 124 points in 143 minor league games but unfortunately hasn’t been able to replicate that in the NHL.

It wasn’t until the 2013-2014 season where Holland was given a legitimate NHL shot. The Toronto Maple Leafs traded for him that season to play on the top-line with Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk. That experiment didn’t last for long and Holland finished the season with only 10 points in 39 games.

The Toronto native stayed with his hometown team for the next two seasons. Neither of these seasons had Holland breakout offensively only scoring 25 points in 2014-2015 and 27 in 2015-2016. The hiring of Mike Babcock decreased Holland’s game time as he would be the victim of many defensive mistakes.

Holland’s time with the Leafs came to an end in the 2016-2017 season. He spend most of the games watching from the press box, only dressing for eight of them. It took time to find a trade partner, but Holland was eventually dealt to the Arizona Coyotes. Unfortunately, his time in Arizona mimicked his time in Toronto finding himself a healthy scratch for many games.

On a good team, Holland is a third-line centre at best. He is a versatile player that he can be placed in all three positions on a line. That in combination with his frame, standing at 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds, makes him a player worth looking into. His biggest weakness is his lack of offence and tendency to make a goal-costing mistake.

This is another cheap deal taken on by the Montreal Canadiens. A cap hit of $675,000 wont hurt at all, and can look amazing if he exceeds expectations. Similarly to Froese’s deal, it’s a two-way in year one and a one-way in year two. Just another reason for Holland to push for the NHL next season.

Habs fans should probably expect to see Holland in the AHL next season with the Laval Rockets. Additionally, if there is an injury on the Canadiens’ roster, Holland could be an option. It’s been a rough couple of seasons for Holland and he’s probably looking to restart his career. Hopefully that restart happens much sooner than later.

Next: Free Agent Signings: Byron Froese

What do you make of the Peter Holland signing? Can he get his career back on track and make an impact with the Habs? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!