Former first-round pick attempting comeback after more than five years out of NHL

The 32-year-old forward last played in the NHL during the 2017-18 season, recording four points in 23 games with the New York Rangers.

Drafted 15th overall in 2009, Holland made his NHL debut during the 2011-12 season with the Anaheim Ducks. He hit the 40-game mark for the first time in 2013-14, recording 11 points in 43 games between Anaheim in Toronto. He then spent two seasons with Toronto in a full-time role, registering a career-best 27 points in 65 games in 2015-16.

Holland spent time with Arizona in 2016-17 before landing in the Big Apple, his last taste of NHL hockey to date. He would spend two years in the KHL with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg for a two-year run, recording 79 points in that span.

Holland’s last pro season in 2021-22 was with Sweden’s Djurgardens IF, where he had six assists in 15 games. The two sides elected to end the contract in December 2021, before Holland announced on social media that he was retiring in March 2022.

It will be interesting to see what ends up happening for Holland. He’s one of five players to sign PTOs so far this year, joining Nathan Beaulieu (Carolina), Alex Chiasson (Boston), Nate Schnarr (Columbus) and Brandon Sutter (Edmonton).