Last season, defensive depth became a concern after Jarred Tinordi was claimed on waivers and Nils Lundkvist forced a trade, catching Chris Drury short as he entered the year. This time round he’s created a little more cushion, by adding four free agent blueliners, including today’s 11th UFA signing in Mac Hollowell.
The former 4th round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Hollowell is just 24 years old with 6 games in the NHL last season as an injury call up. The young blueliner was limited to just 24 games in total last season after also suffering a fractured kneecap back in January, adding only 18 games for the Marlies in the AHL before his season was ended.
An undersized blueliner at 5-9 187lbs, Hollowell will likely see his role as a replacement of sorts for Zac Jones in Hartford, with Jones expected to stick with the Rangers or be traded given his waiver eligibility this year. As a right-hander, Hollowell also provides a small measure of depth to the organization who had just Ty Emberson – RFA with arbitration rights) – in the system behind the NHL line-up.
His one year, $775K deal provides almost no risk to the organization, but does help bolster the Wolf Pack as well as the organization as a whole. Expect him to spend the season with Hartford and perhaps earn a call up if the team runs into injury issues.