By Jordan Long
The Washington Capitals were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night. They dropped game 5, 4-0 to the New York Islanders. It’s the second consecutive year they have lost in the 1st round. The biggest unknown for the team’s future is goaltender Braden Holtby who is an unrestricted free agent.
Holtby has been with the Washington Capitals since the 2010 season. When he started a game, his record with the Capitals is an impressive 282-122-46 with a goals against average of 2.53 in the regular season. The Capitals counted on him night in and night out to make saves to keep the opponents from scoring. He saw the puck very well and limited the rebound chances with a save percentage of .916.
The Capitals reached the postseason 8 straight years with him, winning the Stanley cup in 2018. In 96 playoff starts, Holtby is 50-47 with a goals against average of 2.13 and a save percentage of .926. In this year’s postseason, Holtby was in net for 8 games including the qualifying round to determine the top 4 seeds in the Eastern Conference. Holtby struggled in the games with a 2-6 record. His goals against average was 2.49 with a save percentage of .906. He wasn’t able to make the saves to keep the Capitals alive.
Holtby knows this could have been his last game for Washington. According to ESPN, Holtby said, “Certainly there’s a chance it is. But who knows. You live one day at a time.”
The Capitals could end up agreeing to a new contract with him in free agency. If they don’t they have their goaltender of the future in Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov appeared in 26 games for the Capitals starting 22 of them. His record was 16-6-2 with a goals against average of 2.55 and a save percentage of .913.
If the Capitals let Holtby test free agency, there are teams interested including the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, and San Jose Sharks. Ottawa’s number 1 goaltender Craig Anderson is a free agent. His age could be a concern at 39. They need a proven goaltender and Holtby fits that need. He would be the starter.
The San Jose Sharks might be in the market for a playoff goaltender. Aaron Dell is a free agent leaving Martin Jones as the only goalie on the roster. Jones can be the number 1 goaltender on the depth chart but he hasn’t proven he can lead this franchise to a Stanley Cup Final.
The Red Wings don’t make sense. Jonathan Bernier has proven to be a starter in his league even if they lose Jimmy Howard to free agency. Holtby doesn’t want to be a backup. Detroit may not want to spend $5+ million for Holtby when they have a goaltender who can handle the duties of being a starter.
The Capitals will do what is best for their franchise moving forward. Holtby may need to start looking for a future home where he can continue his hockey career. All of this is going to be determined in free agency.
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