While he has been far from flawless, Mac Hollowell has performed admirably since his call-up to the Toronto Maple Leafs active roster.
Given that he started the season, easily somewhere between 12th and 15th on the Toronto Maple Leafs defensive depth chart, the fact he’s now seen six consecutive games speaks to other challenges.
With Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, T.J. Brodie, Jordie Benn and Carl Dahlstrom all injured, it’s become necessary for Sheldon Keefe to call upon guys like Mac Hollowell to fill in the inevitable gaps on the blue-line.
Of course, there’s been moments where you notice a gulf in talent; most recently when Nikita Kucherov drew a penalty with a burst of speed, but that’s all part of learning to play at the NHL level.