Quoting: GMBL
I certainly think Fitzgerald will want to hold onto Holtz for sure, but that may be where he has to compromise, the main thing would be that he doesn't give up both Holtz and the 1st considering they have other guys they can trade. You are right that NJ does have plenty of other prospects, I wonder which ones would interest Grier, Daws would be one but I don't think Fitzgerald would want to give him either.
Edit: Just saw that the other goalie prospect, Schmid, is swiss. The New Jersey Swissknives.
I'm still rooting for a Holtz/Eklund reunion in SJ lol.
Maybe he trades Holtz and/or Nemec…they are certainly big chips to move. But I have seen nothing that suggests he would.
1. They chose to keep him on NHL roster (despite having a couple of years of waivers left). If they were looking to move him, he would be on showcase in AHL lighting things up. They have kept him as part-timer with main club to development him.
2. The coaching is a factor. Ruff is coaching for another contract, playing to win now, less interest in development. Brunette, up until the other day and still maybe afterwards, is our heading candidate to take Ruff’s job next year. And he likes Holtz. Works him into practice, into PP, and with video coach. They have invested into Holtz.
3. Top-25 prospects are very, very rarely traded. Young goal scorers are rarely traded. Prospects with 2+ years of ELC are rarely moved. He is all three.
Everything suggests Holtz will not be traded. Very little suggests he will be.