The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed one of their young defensemen to an extension, inking Mac Hollowell to a new one-year, two-way contract for 2022-23. The deal carries a salary of $750K at the NHL level. Hollowell was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Selected 118th overall in 2018, the 23-year-old Hollowell has been a nice example of the Maple Leafs' development system, going through the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers before becoming a key member of the Toronto Marlies. He’s yet to play at the NHL level — which is still not a guarantee at all — but has 14 points in 23 games for the AHL club this season.
His biggest obstacle is still his size, as Hollowell measures in at just 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds. There have been small defensemen in the NHL before, but usually, they come with some elite offensive upside. Hollowell does have good instincts in that regard, but especially with the likes of Morgan Rielly and Rasmus Sandin ahead of him, those minutes would be hard to come by with the Maple Leafs.
He is right-handed, though, which has been an area of concern for Toronto in recent years and still doesn’t feature a ton of depth. A new contract likely means nothing more than a spot on the Marlies but perhaps Hollowell can take his growth even further next season.
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