Colorado Avalanche Player Grades: Nick Holden

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nick Holden receives his player grade for the 2015-2016 season.

It’s widely known that the biggest fans of the Colorado Avalanche defense are opponents of the Colorado Avalanche. I, on the otherhand, wish that the Avs would bring in some 2nd pair talent, because Nick Holden is not a second pair player. I know I have to give a grade later, but I want to start by saying I don’t think Nick Holden is necessarily a bad player, but he’s simply not good enough to be the Avs 4th defenseman.

But this post isn’t about breaking down the Avalanche defense deficiencies (especially because there’s already plenty out there on that), it’s about Nick Holden and his performance this season. So let’s get to it.

The Eye Test

More from Mile High Sticking

As you may know from my John Mitchell review, I like to start with my personal, subjective opinion of players and then move on to statistics. Maybe a team will see my assessment and pick me up as a scout.

Anyways, prior to this year I had lumped Holden in with the Guenin, Benoit type players: journeyman defenseman the Avs played because they had no other options. However, I was actually pretty impressed with Nick Holden this year. He was pretty solid defensively, becoming a much more physical player then I remember in the past, and his puck moving abilities vastly improved.

The second part may seem interesting because Holden played with one of the best puck moving D in the division in Tyson Barrie. However the difference is that Barrie, while able to make spectacular plays often, turned the puck over so damn much this year. At the same time Nick Holden learned when to push the play without taking unnecessary risks. He’ll never make something out of nothing the way the elite defenseman can, but he was good at recognizing opportunities this year and taking advantage of them.

The last thing I will say about Nick Holden, which applies to all the Avs, is that he is so bad at picking guys up on the rush. Like I said earlier I thought he was pretty solid on the puck this year, but he was a train wreck away from the puck at times.

Player Statistics

Stats:

Games

PlayedGoalsAssistsPointsGoal % of PointsAssist % of Points 82 6 16 22 27.3 72.7Even Strength Goal %PP Goal %SOGShooting %Even Strength Assist %PP Assist % 100 0 98 6.1 93.8 6.2

Take AwaysGive AwaysTurnover +/-BlocksHitsTOI per Game 21 26 -5 118 217 21.8

Player Grade: B+

Listen, Nick Holden is not a 4th defenseman. He shouldn’t be playing 21+ minutes a game, plain and simple. However, his play did vastly improve from last year and I’m grading players on their potential and skill, not GM Joe Sakic’s lack of ability to get a solid 4th defenseman.

Holden is nothing special, but he’s pretty solid and he can move the puck. It’s not worth a ton, but when the Avs have guys like Guenin and Redmond playing on the blue line consistently it’s definitely worth something.

Next: Avalanche Offseason Narrative

The Future

Holden is locked up for another two seasons at a modest 1.6 million. Hopefully, the Avalanche will go out and pick up another top 4 defenseman, pushing Holden back into a 5th or 6th spot, a spot I think he would be good in.

However, whether that happens remains to be seen, and it is very possible that Holden will see just as much ice time next year. And I’m willing to wager that if he does it is going to be another rough season for the Colorado Avalanche.

Lastly, while I was writing this, I found this picture of Nick Holden:

Apr 1, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nick Holden (2) makes a glove save for goalie Semyon Varlamov (1) in the first period against the Washington Capitals at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

I really wish he’d just let Varlamov see the freaking puck.

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