Pontus Holmberg has changed his game for the better under Craig Berube

With the NHL Trade Deadline having officially passed, the Toronto Maple Leafs have their group set going forward. Despite names like Nick Robertson and Pontus Holmberg having their names float around the media circuit for no reason other than they’re young NHLers who could be appealing to rebuilding teams, they were spared from any deals, with the Leafs opting to part with first-round picks and prospects instead. The fact that Connor Dewar was shipped to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a draft pick and Ryan Reaves was waived prior to the deadline also helps Robertson and Holmberg’s odds of staying in the lineup going forward.

This also suggests that while, at one point, it may have seemed as though the Leafs had to choose one or the other when it came to dressing their 12 forwards, head coach Craig Berube seems totally content with having both players in the lineup. Robertson has been scratched here and there following the deadline but with the reunion of the Robertson-Max Domi-Bobby McMann line on Monday against the Calgary Flames, this may be a unit Berube wants to stick with going forward. So where does that leave Holmberg? The third-year NHLer and first-time full-time NHLer has spent a lot of time skating with John Tavares and William Nylander on the second line, which at first, seems like a strange call considering his lack of offence. He has only 15 points in 55 games this season and is two points off of his career high of 17, which he achieved in 54 games last season.

Holmberg almost looks like a placeholder for that second line considering the massive gap in offence between him and the other two forwards on it, but we’re past the deadline now, so who is he holding a place for at this point? The answer may be nobody, and although the 26-year-old probably wasn’t a leading contender to play in the top six, he’s changed some aspects of his game that make the decision a little more justifiable, even if he’s still there when the playoffs roll around.

The main thing about Holmberg’s game that’s different in 2024-25 is his role. He recognizes that despite being close to a point-per-game player in his final season over in Sweden and in a small sample size with the Marlies last season, that’s not as easy to come by in the NHL. He was never a regular player under former head coach Sheldon Keefe, appearing in 37 games in 2022-23 and 54 games last season, but he’s on pace to play 70 games this season if he stays in the lineup. And even though he’s likely not going to hit the 30-point mark, he seems to gain confidence the more he’s trusted by Berube.

Holmberg’s role in 2024-25 has been more geared towards maximum effort, strong puck battles, and being a pest to opposing players. Although playing the pest role hasn’t long been part of his game, he’s recognized that he needs to do something to stick out from the other players who don’t have a guaranteed roster spot, and that’s what he’s done. He currently sits 11th in the NHL in drawn penalties, which has paired beautifully with a Leafs power play that’s been on a heater in the new year, sitting fourth league-wide since January 1st and seventh league-wide overall. You see him making noise in the scrums more often than not, which you never would have associated with his game style last season, but that’s where he is.

The fact that Holmberg only has six goals sticks out like a sore thumb when you see him next to Tavares and Nylander on the lineup card, who have 27 and 38 goals, respectively. But there’s more to the game than just goals. Assuming the Leafs plan to stick with Matthew Knies-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner as their top line and the Domi/Robertson line as a third unit, Holmberg has brought the most to the table from an analytical standpoint to the Tavares and Nylander line. That line has a 57.14% expected goals (xGF) rating with Holmberg on it compared to 47.08% without him, their high danger chance percentage is 61.11% with him compared to 52.05% without, and although the overall possession numbers could be better overall, their 47.84% Corsi-for rating is with him is better than their rating of 45.57% without him.

All of this is to say that Holmberg isn’t getting these opportunities for no reason. If he wasn’t getting engaged physically, going into the dirty areas, and grabbing the attention of opposing players in the scrum, he wouldn’t be getting second-line minutes. Depth scoring has been an issue for the Leafs all season long, so the skepticism when they put one of their less-productive players with two of their most-productive players is justified at least on paper. But looking beyond that, it’s important to recognize what the Leafs’ 2018 sixth-round pick has done to his game this season. Sure, the Leafs will probably have eyes on a true second-line forward this summer, but it’s clear that Berube’s trust in Holmberg indicates a regular roster spot for the rest of the season and into next year as well, even if it’s not on the second line.