“Obviously it is humbling to hear something like that,” Holden said.

It was an unsurprising reaction from the mild-mannered Holden. He has taken any plaudits in stride, focusing mostly on his night-to-night duties in the rink with the Rangers. His pairing with Staal, also 29, has helped instill in him a clear understanding of the team’s outlook.

“For me, the biggest thing is to come into any situation and play consistently,” Holden said. “Coming to a new team you want to try and find your spot. The game and style we play here — fast to pucks and fast-moving pucks — works for me.”

Staal, who has patrolled the Rangers’ defense for 10 seasons, said Holden had been a good influence for him and the team’s defense corps over all. With fellow veterans Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh usually also paired, Holden plus Staal has given the Rangers another experienced duo. The rookie Brady Skjei usually skates with Kevin Klein, who is in his 13th season.

“I’ve really enjoyed playing with him,” Staal said of Holden. “He’s a guy who is physical below the dots and stops a lot of plays because of that. And he talks a ton, which is great. We’ve been getting better as a pair the more we play together. He’s been a huge addition.”

Holden skated in seven games for the Columbus Blue Jackets before joining Colorado as a free agent in July 2013. He played all 82 games last season for the Avalanche — where he was second on the team in hits and had six goals and 16 assists.

After the Avalanche missed the playoffs for the second straight season last spring, Holden returned home to Edmonton, expecting to be back in Colorado in September since his contract was set to run through the 2017-18 season.