Remember when the Vegas Golden Knights acquired Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid from the New Jersey Devils? Every Golden Knights fan (myself included) thought the trade was a win for Vegas. You were getting a 22-year-old winger who scored 16 goals the season before. Schmid would also fit into Bruce Cassidy's goaltender-friendly system well. It looked like an underrated trade that would pay dividends...
...Except that day never came. The Swedish winger only has three goals and seven assists this season. It marks a severely underwhelming season for the 22-year-old, where he appears to be headed to the Henderson Silver Knights. But it goes beyond mere goals and assists tallied on the Golden Knights.
Alex Holtz has been removed from VGK's roster ahead of tonight's game in Dallas.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) January 25, 2025
Haven't seen official confirmation beyond the tweet below, but it appears he's been assigned to the AHL. https://t.co/3jYnx78TOu
High-scoring chances? Non-existent. He hasn't done much with his shot attempts, boasting a Corsi and Fenwick of 49%. His relative expected goals percentage is -4.6% and his on-ice goal differential is -3. His play has been in front of the net, where he's generated the most foot traffic for scoring opportunities.
All this culminated in Holtz being removed from the main roster, where many fans didn't initially see the writing on the wall. He wasn't developed correctly in New Jersey and never adapted to Bruce Cassidy's system, leaving him behind. Kelly McCrimmon has always been big on reclamation projects, where players such as Victor Olofsson (11 goals, eight assists) have become solid contributors. However, this is the one "L" McCrimmon might need to swallow.
Is there a pathway for Holtz to get back on the main roster permanently?
That's a big ol' maybe for Alexander Holtz and it depends on many factors. First, how do the Vegas Golden Knights look health-wise? They recently lost William Karlsson to a lower-body injury and he's out on a week-to-week basis. January is always the month where the Golden Knights get hammered the most, whether by performance or health.
Holtz could get another shot at redemption if the situation gets dire. But will he get promoted over players such as Tanner Laczynski and Brendan Brisson if he's in Henderson? The duo got called up from the Henderson Silver Knights to fill the lineup voids on Friday night, whereas Holtz was demoted. Don't forget there's a trade deadline looming that could take his spot.
There's also the developmental side of things that Holtz must tackle. The winger hasn't honed his shot and is still that reclamation project for the Golden Knights. He needs time to perfect his shot and iron out other weaknesses in his game. That includes his back-checking and defensive capabilities, where he's less than desirable. If the Swedish forward can improve these parts of his game, he'll get back in Bruce Cassidy's good graces.
Luckily for Alexander Holtz, he has time to get back on the Vegas Golden Knights
Bruce Cassidy is a hard man to please. He will let you know when you've screwed up in your game with a fresh doghouse waiting for you. Plenty of players have seen that doghouse and Alexander Holtz got a nice introduction to it on Friday.
The good news is he's 22 years old and is waiver-exempt. He has another opportunity waiting in the wings, where he justs needs to iron out parts of his game. Can he capitalize on this sudden change and turn it into something fruitful? Stay tuned, for the ending could be an absolute shocker.
As it stands, the winger was given every opportunity to shine. It might be some bad luck involved in his game. It might have been missed opportunities on his end. However, the greatest players always rise from the ashes and learn from their past mistakes. It doesn't matter if it's Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky. It's a matter of honing your craft and fine-tuning your game. Holtz won't be the next Gretzky. But he can take this demotion in stride and use it as a valuable lesson.