Vegas Hockey Knight
Fansided

Vegas Golden Knights should consider going after Holtby in 2020

By Andrew Steele-Davis

ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 02: Braden Holtby #70 of the Washington Capitals sprays water during a stoppage in play against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on October 2, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 02: Braden Holtby #70 of the Washington Capitals sprays water during a stoppage in play against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on October 2, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
ST LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 02: Braden Holtby #70 of the Washington Capitals sprays water during a stoppage in play against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on October 2, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 02: Braden Holtby #70 of the Washington Capitals sprays water during a stoppage in play against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on October 2, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

It is never too early to look ahead and the Vegas Golden Knights should be setting their eyes on the bumper free agency class in 2020, including a certain high-profile netminder.

Although we are only 10 games into the 2019-20 NHL regular season, recruiting never stops for all 31 franchises and, like this summer, there will be a plethora of big names available on the open market next off-season.

As it currently stands, the likes of St. Louis Blues Captain Alex Pietrangelo, New Jersey Devils forward and 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall and Boston Bruins blueliner Torey Krug are all set to hit free agency, unless of course they sign new deals with their current teams before then.

But, one name that should really interest the Golden Knights is Braden Holtby, the elite Washington Capitals goalie.

Holtby is due to become an unrestricted free agent following the conclusion of this season and he will no doubt attract a plethora of suitors for his services.

The Vegas Golden Knights should be at the front of that queue.

We’re going to delve into the pros and cons of signing Braden Holtby and then round off with a final verdict on whether or not it would be a shrewd acquisition for the Knights.

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 18: Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby (70) makes a third period save against the New York Rangers on October 18, 2019, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 18: Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby (70) makes a third period save against the New York Rangers on October 18, 2019, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Pros

First and foremost, Braden Holtby is a proven top-level goalie in the NHL and his body of work is impressive.

He’s a four-time NHL All-Star, he’s a Vezina Trophy winner, he amassed the most wins in the NHL in 2015-16 with 48, he had the most shutouts the following year with nine and he has a World Cup Gold Medal to his name as well.

Oh, did we mention that he won the Stanley Cup in 2017-18 too?

Holtby is a born-winner and he has a proven track record when it comes to coming up clutch in big and key moments.

More from Vegas Hockey Knight

Just look at the role he played during Washington’s run to their first championship in franchise history two years ago. Holtby had a 2.16 Goals Against Average and a .922 Save Percentage with two shutouts in 23 games.

He could bring that knowledge of knowing what it takes to finally haul yourselves over the finishing line and win a championship to the Golden Knights, who are right in the middle of their Stanley Cup window now.

Not only that but Holtby has an impressive resume when it comes to the regular season too and, although he may go through the odd cold spell, his hard-nose persona on the ice has been a driving factor behind the Capital’s five straight postseason appearances.

The 30-year-old has a career .917 Save Percentage and 2.49 Goals Against Average in 427 regular season games – all with Washington – while he has a .928 SV% and a 2.09 GAA GAA in 89 career postseason contests.

Holtby is like a cold-blooded killer when he’s in the zone on the ice and he can be relied upon to get the job done and deliver the goods.

When the pressure is on that’s when Holtby really comes to play and he certainly doesn’t shrink when the spotlight is on him – do we really need to mention THAT save against Vegas in the postseason?

LAS VEGAS NV – JUNE 7: Washington goaltender Braden Holtby (70) carry the Stanley Cup during the second period of the game between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights in game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals in Las Vegas NV on June 7, 2018. (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS NV – JUNE 7: Washington goaltender Braden Holtby (70) carry the Stanley Cup during the second period of the game between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights in game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals in Las Vegas NV on June 7, 2018. (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images) /

He is also likely motivated to win at least another Stanley Cup and he would have the opportunity to do that with the Vegas Golden Knights given the roster they have constructed.

And, given his age, he’s got at least four or five more high-end years in him which would give Vegas two seasons of two elite goalies on their roster until Marc-Andre Fleury‘s contract expires after 2021-22, which would give the franchise ample time to find a long-term heir to the throne between the pipes.

Plus, given Fleury will be 35 in November, you could properly apply load management to the future Hall of Famer safe in the knowledge that you have an elite 1B goalie who can split the workload.

The Boston Bruins make it work with Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak (okay, not quite at the same level but still) with the two combining for a high-end and hugely successful goalie tandem in the NHL.

There is no reason the Golden Knights couldn’t make it work for two years at, albeit, a more expensive price.

And, here is another wrinkle to the story, with Russian prospect Ilya Samsonov waiting in the wings in Washington, Holtby will no doubt be walking into his new franchise with a rather large chip on his shoulder should he leave the Capitals in the summer.

Home/Analysis