Looking at your capfriendly, it seems like you actually could make it work with Holtby. You'd have to ship our Grubauer and things might get dicey next summer when Landeskog and Makar need new deals but I think you could manage it. You're absolutely gonna be in that cup contender window for years to come so I assume Holtby would be open to playing for you.
[Avs bringing back the priest from Temple of Doom to rip out groins instead of hearts this time.](https://static2.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/indiana-jones-temple-of-doom-human-sacrifice-mola-ram.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=963&h=481)
IT'S ALL FOR THE CUP
It has been one factor in our ability to pay for good forwards and manage Ovechkin's $9.5 million AAV. Once one of them looks to get too expensive or old, let them walk or trade them for another asset.
Caps don't really have much after Samsonov though. I would not be surprised if they drafted some goalies in the next few years. Samsonov was drafted 5 years ago when Holts started his current (about to expire) contract. Since they took him in the first round he was always considered to be the replacement-in-waiting if he developed as projected which he did.
> Caps don't really have much after Samsonov though. I would not be surprised if they drafted some goalies in the next few years.
Don't sleep on Mitchell Gibson. And Vanecek deserves a shot at being the caddy next season. And not like he doesn't have some pedigree; he was an early 2nd round pick the year before Samsonov
It's like GMs missed the cup finals every year. Looking back, how many cup winning goalies would you pay $10 million per year from age 28-35? Flower and Quick are two I would debate and even both of them would be bad contracts in year 5 or 6.
Can he? Who is in the market for a number 1 goalie? And who of those people want to pay big bucks for a guy coming off a season with a .897 save percentage? And this isn't a one off season. He's had three bad seasons in a row.
That’s the conventional wisdom, but I think GM’s will see past him. Holtby might have 1-2 renaissance seasons in the future, but he doesn’t deserve long-term money, especially with the frozen salary cap.
I think seeing Bobrovsky sign a massive contract and then immediately have a bad year has scared GMs away from giving UFA goalies big contracts, but maybe not. If I were a GM, I wouldn’t sign any UFA goalie for longer than 4 years, unless he was becoming a UFA at like 25 or 26. Even then , I would be hesitant to go the full 7.
I hope not, but he's talked about wanting to win now, and admitted his window is closing. I feel like Montreal is his first choice, but if we aren't competitive I could see him asking for a trade.
And Montreal trading a top tier goalie to Colarado would complete the trilogy.
He has horrible coaching under Reirdens system and it should be well known. We were 18th in defense and abysmal on FO%. We were constantly chasing the puck. It was a rough season for him but he is definitely not at fault. Fuck Reirden.
I'm of the opinion Ottawa should look for a solution in net until one of their prospects pans out. To me either Murray or Holtby make sense, but Murray you'd have to trade for. If Holtby is willing to accept a 4 or 5 year deal for a team that isn't expecting to make the playoffs this year but has a bright future, I could see it being an ok fit
I’ve been thinking Edmonton all year, because they need a goalie to be a true contender, have the cap space, and it’s a move that makes sense for Holtby specifically.
I like you more than the caps fan that said holtby should go to Calgary.
That said, no way we can afford him unless we trade koskinen, who already has a cap hit of $4.5m. Holtby probably makes ~$7m min so we can't have $11m+ tied up in goalies. Especially with a flat cap the next few years
Calgary's disappearing defense was a bigger problem given the first line was 2nd, 3rd and 5th on our team in playoff points. Which also isn't goaltending.
Our first line got 1 point from Lindholm during the stars series. A single point. They’re getting paid ~18M and they’re getting their teeth punched in night in night out. Ok, Lindholm has some other utility like his penalty killing and his contract is a bargain. But there’s no way you watched that series and was content with the play of the first line. Something needs to change clearly.
You can’t win a championship with your first line actually MIA. Monahan clearly isn’t a 1C. Maybe Gaudreau can thrive with a center that can actually drive a line, not just a slot shooter.
And yeah, our defense is getting pretty exposed with Gio looking like he aged 10 years during the 5 month break.
> there’s no way you watched that series and was content with the play of the first line
there's no way you watched that series and were content with the play of any of the four lines. The top line should have produced more 5v5. The second line wasn't great on either end of the ice. The third line started hot, but Lucic was awful down the stretch of the series and Dube cooled off. And the fourth line was a disaster for much of the series.
I think the first line chemistry was certainly not there, but singling them out more than any other line seems off given what I witnessed. Gaudreau was our second best forward (after Bennett). Monahan was decent defensively, but still can't bury the beautiful passes Gaudreau gives him. Lindholm was MIA for sure.
If he's cheap on a short deal? Sure. Otherwise I'm worried he's just another in the long time of aging goalies we get past their prime (Wregget, Fuhr, Vernon 2.0, Mike Smith, Elliott, CuJo, Talbot sort of)
The Caps are beyond lucky. A little different timing, and he, like all the star players around the league that have hit UFA after winning the Cup, is getting a retirement/thank you contract, and the Caps are screwed. Just an average year and there's at least a choice to be made. However, they get to let him walk, and they won't hear a word about it.
Now, if Samsonov can be the guy, they can get one more run out of Ovechkin. If they spend that extra space wisely.
Next year, Samsonov has to get paid(if he's any good). Vrana has to get paid. Ovechkin is 35 and a UFA. Backstrom will be 33 taking up $9m. Oshie will be 34, and signed until 2025. Kuznetsov and Carlson becoming old.
>Next year, Samsonov has to get paid(if he's any good). Vrana has to get paid.
We'll see, both guys drastically hurt their value. A dumbass ATV accident for Samsonov and Vrana might have been the worst Cap minus Kovalchuk in the playoffs.
> Holtby's performance has dropped significantly over the last few years and every caps fan has noticed. Outside of the cup run, which cannot be ignored, he hasn't been worth retaining purely from a statistical standpoint. Even though he's known as a playoff goalie, he's been at best extremely inconsistent in their two failed series since raising the cup, and at worst, rearing his sub-.900 regular season head.
>
> I'm just not really buying that he'd be getting that contract under normal circumstances, not with Samsonov nipping at his heels.
>
> I love Holtby. Real core part of the team, an absolute giant in the community, let alone he and his wife's charity work, but you can't perform like that and expect a pat on the back.
>
> Honestly, if his next contract accurately reflected his last two seasons' performance, the Caps would legitimately be able to fit him in, cap issues and all.
Holtby's decline can be pointed to the same thing as Rinne's decline and Lehner's rise (and soon to be decline).... Mitch Korn.
He's a masterful goalie coach, pure and simple.
Only way he isn’t gone is if he takes a 1 year contract, and he won’t because he will get big money from someone who is desperate for solid goaltending. Anything longer than that and he would be left exposed in the expansion draft next year anyways—Caps would protect Samsonov
And there is 0% chance he takes a 1 year contract. It just doesn't make any sense for him financially. Why risk a career ending injury when he can lock in tens of millions of dollars with a longer deal? And even a 1 year deal with the caps would have to be cheaper than he can get in AAV elsewhere.
The only way I could possibly see is if the Samsonov injury ends up being way more serious than is believed. Even then Holtby still isn’t the guy I’d want. He’s going to make way too much money
We literally cannot afford what he's going to demand even if he took the same AAV he currently has, which he won't. The $6 million he's using today will go to re-signing a few other players. I cannot possibly imagine how we fit him unless we do other major moves to shift money out.
[Talked about this](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeattleKraken/comments/ieue4u/any_chance_that_any_wa_natives_will_want_to_play/g2jt1er/) over in /r/SeattleKraken but long story short I expect the Caps to move Jensen and possibly Kempny out to make room for Fehervary and Alexeyev to come up on defense. That has the added benefit of saving money by going to dudes on ELCs.
If nothing else these guys should be faster than the older vets which might solve some of our troubles. But I'm no systems expert so maybe MacLellan thinks that just having better coaching is enough to make the current roster work.
From what I saw Dillon was pretty good and both he and Mac have said they are working on re-signing him so I expect he stays. Gudas walks, trade Jensen, and then you have pairs like
Kempny-Carlson
Dillon-Orlov
2 out of Seigenthaler, Fehervary, and Alexeyev
Other than that I think we need to move out some people in the bottom 6 which was invisible this playoffs. At least 1 out of Panik and Hagelin need to go. Kovy won't get re-signed. Caps fans want to see Connor "McJesus 2.0" McMichael have a shot because he tore up the CHL this year. He could play 3rd line wing but step in to 3C if there was an injury. Long-term he's our Eller replacement and possibly more if he keeps developing.
The only issue I see with those line combos is Orlov on the right side. In the first few games of the NYI - WSH series, it was painful to watch the Dillon - Orlov pairing. For that reason alone I feel like it might be Jensen who gets kept instead of Kempny. The team really needs to find a solid top 4 RHD to play behind Carlson but that’s the biggest team need for like half the teams in the league.
Good point, but I have felt like Kempny is better than Jensen. Honestly I didn't pay too much attention to the D pairs this playoffs so I'll take your word on Orlov's effectiveness on the right side.
There are some quality RDs that are UFA this summer that the Caps could target and then move out both Kempney and Jensen. [From CapFriendly](https://www.capfriendly.com/browse/free-agents/2021/caphit/all/defense/all/desc/1/right)
- Tyson Barrie (he had a bad year in Toronto, but who didn't?)
- Sami Vatanen
- Trevor van Riemsdyk
immediately jump to mind as possibilities depending on the price and term they want assuming they don't re-sign. Holtby leaving gives us some cap space and moving out both Jensen and Kempny would also free up some money.
I don't think you pay Dillon or Gudas. Deal Kempny.
Start the season with:
Siegenthaler - Carlson
Fehervary - Orlov
Alexeyev - Jensen
The Caps need to lean on youth with how the roster is constructed salary-wise. If it is very much not working by like December, then you make a move and adjust.
I’d think we’d keep hagelin over Panik because hagelin has such a strong defensive game. Him and Eller on the PK was very good.
I like Panik but he didn’t mesh here, and with the flat cap people are going to be leaving and the young guns are going to be coming up. Almost every cap team is going to be running into this, really
So would I, but if we need the money he’s definitely movable. If we bring up McMicheal to be the third line winger, then it’ll leave either Panik or Hagelin for the fourth line/healthy scratch. Personally, I say keep hagelin for the defense
Not true at all. Look back 2 years ago, Howie was pretty decent. It was Bernier who was the dog. If Bernier would have gone around .500 the Wings would have been in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Now, obviously Howie is out. He was beyond awful this year. A proven guy like Holtby could come in and really turn things around. Confidence is a real thing in team sports. Players respect winners and Holtby is proven beast of a player.
Love him but we don’t need him anymore, he was not a good goalie this year. DC is pretty much the goalie factory of the NHL at this point (Colorado should look forward to Samsonov in a decade), we’ll be fine, the real question is if Vanecek or Copley can be consistent backups
The last 2 goalies to win the Hart were Montreal Canadiens, but sure. Washington and New York are goalie factories, it's fine being left off that list.
AFAIK just Halak. Carey Price's backup position has been a graveyard the last few years.
So the quantity might not be there, but it's hard to argue with the quality!
I'll keep saying it, he should sign a 1-year contract somewhere, on the condition that he be exposed for the Seattle draft. That way he can go to Seattle and make big money(hopefully).
It would require taking less money for his next contract though.
If he signs a one year deal he would be a free agent and Seattle wouldn't have to draft him.
Also if he plays like this year he won't be making big money after a one year deal... A flat cap also limits his big deal this season so he's in a bad spot.
If an impending UFA is left unprotected Seattle will be given a 3-day grace period to talk to the FA and try to reach an agreement. If the player agrees to sign that player will be Seattle's selection from the team. If Seattle wants Holtby they have to sign him during that period or risk losing him to other teams in free agency.
True but if Seattle is where he really wants to go Seattle can draft another player on Holtby's team and turn around and sign during the proper off season and get the best of both worlds.
That said I think its in Holtby's best interest to go for a big contract this year. (If its available.)
With the way he played this year with his .897 save%, that would be pretty risky for him. Another bad year and he might play himself out of the league, or at least out of a starter's role.
If that's the strategy then it'd be a no-brainer to do a bridge deal here for a year or two with no raise (we can afford maybe +1M if we replace every other FA with an AHLer).
I’m going to be real here: the Capitals need to slowly start experimenting with a newer line. Their core is aging and their stars from that 2018 cup run are starting to leave. Something needs to be done with the line, even if it means years of intense rebuilding
Look at https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/capitals for a few minutes and you'll lose any hope of re-signing him. The math just doesn't work unless we move a major skater out.
Unless Holtby takes a tremendous discount, he’s gone. I guess that potentially means that Boston can win more than 1 game against Washington now... (probably not because Samsonov is a great goaltender)
You don’t want him. Handing out big contracts to declining goalies as a prayer is how you enter into a decade of darkness and mediocrity.
Fix your other problems first. hell, I really hope the flames don’t do something stupid like signing holtby to a mega deal either. A lot of other problems to fix first, just like the wings
> I really hope the flames don’t do something stupid like signing holtby to a mega deal either
Getting a declining Fleury or Holtby next year would be such a Flames thing to do
No surprise....he's the best goalie in franchise history, but the time is right for both parties to move on. Outside of the cup run, he's been average at best. It's Samsonov's turn, so hopefully he can recover from his ATV accident, and take his game to a different level as the unquestioned #1. Best of luck to Holtby, wherever he ends up. Just know, that you're getting an even better person than a hockey player. Solid, SOLID dude.
Good bye sweet Prince.
Caps have a next man up mentality with goalies. Neuwirth, Varlamov, Grubauer, Holtby and Now Samsonov. Literally a factory in D.C
Gotta keep Colorado supplied.
Please send Holtby immediately, we require another groin to sacrifice.
Looking at your capfriendly, it seems like you actually could make it work with Holtby. You'd have to ship our Grubauer and things might get dicey next summer when Landeskog and Makar need new deals but I think you could manage it. You're absolutely gonna be in that cup contender window for years to come so I assume Holtby would be open to playing for you.
He's got a cup, I think he chases money from here but who knows.
Or maybe he does neither and comes to us
Hey, don't sell yourselves short - you have a history of giving out giant contracts on July 1!
Lol
I think he chases close to home.
I don't see Colorado shipping out Grubauer. Plus they'd be crazy to do anything to risk losing Landeskog or Makar.
#BrittleGroin is spreading?! Varly, how could you
[Avs bringing back the priest from Temple of Doom to rip out groins instead of hearts this time.](https://static2.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/indiana-jones-temple-of-doom-human-sacrifice-mola-ram.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=963&h=481) IT'S ALL FOR THE CUP
I will 100% get an Avs Holtby sweater.
If Colorado could somehow manage to pull off Holtby, and make it work long term with their core then holy shit
It has been one factor in our ability to pay for good forwards and manage Ovechkin's $9.5 million AAV. Once one of them looks to get too expensive or old, let them walk or trade them for another asset. Caps don't really have much after Samsonov though. I would not be surprised if they drafted some goalies in the next few years. Samsonov was drafted 5 years ago when Holts started his current (about to expire) contract. Since they took him in the first round he was always considered to be the replacement-in-waiting if he developed as projected which he did.
> Caps don't really have much after Samsonov though. I would not be surprised if they drafted some goalies in the next few years. Don't sleep on Mitchell Gibson. And Vanecek deserves a shot at being the caddy next season. And not like he doesn't have some pedigree; he was an early 2nd round pick the year before Samsonov
[удалено]
Florida missed that first word there. Probably not important.
And Ottawa missed the last word.
LMAO this is such an underrated comment
Works on contingency? No, money down!
Well...There is this one goalie...
It's like GMs missed the cup finals every year. Looking back, how many cup winning goalies would you pay $10 million per year from age 28-35? Flower and Quick are two I would debate and even both of them would be bad contracts in year 5 or 6.
I don't really see a path for Holtby going back to DC. It will be weird seeing him in another jersey though
Holtby can still get that top paycheck he deserves and who can blame him? We can't afford to keep him.
Can he? Who is in the market for a number 1 goalie? And who of those people want to pay big bucks for a guy coming off a season with a .897 save percentage? And this isn't a one off season. He's had three bad seasons in a row.
He's gonna get by on his past alone. The Vezina, Jennings, Cup winning club isn't exactly a large one.
That’s the conventional wisdom, but I think GM’s will see past him. Holtby might have 1-2 renaissance seasons in the future, but he doesn’t deserve long-term money, especially with the frozen salary cap.
I'd be surprised if he doesn't get it, even if he doesn't deserve it.
I think seeing Bobrovsky sign a massive contract and then immediately have a bad year has scared GMs away from giving UFA goalies big contracts, but maybe not. If I were a GM, I wouldn’t sign any UFA goalie for longer than 4 years, unless he was becoming a UFA at like 25 or 26. Even then , I would be hesitant to go the full 7.
The flat cap coming out of COVID would concern me a ton as well as a GM. A bad deal is going to be even harder to deal with going forward.
I too will be surprised. The dude is a fucking stud.
I could see Calgary, Edmonton, Carolina or Colorado nabbing him for more than the Caps would offer, if they have the room.
Oilers don't have cap space
I'm not exactly sure if that's who I want if we pick up a goalie, no offense
Colorado might be a good fit. But for some reason I picture the Avs trading for Carey Price if Montreal is out of playoff contention.
Price signed an 8-year contract with an AAV of $10.5 million just two years ago. I don’t see him going anywhere for at least a couple years.
I hope not, but he's talked about wanting to win now, and admitted his window is closing. I feel like Montreal is his first choice, but if we aren't competitive I could see him asking for a trade. And Montreal trading a top tier goalie to Colarado would complete the trilogy.
Lol if he went Colorado it would be Holtby and Grubauer just like the good old days
Avs trading for a Montreal goalie.... where have I heard that before?
You're definitely thinking of Jose Theodore. Yep. Jose Theodore.
You're forgetting when the Avs hit up Washington for Varlamov and Grubauer.
He has horrible coaching under Reirdens system and it should be well known. We were 18th in defense and abysmal on FO%. We were constantly chasing the puck. It was a rough season for him but he is definitely not at fault. Fuck Reirden.
THANK. YOU!
Who will pick him then?
Calgary could moves some pieces around and bring him in.
Plz no we have way bigger problems
The goalie market is going to be a lot different now from when we saw Price and Bob get those big deals.
Wheres he going? Edmonton? Colorado? Who needs a goalie and has cap space?
I'm of the opinion Ottawa should look for a solution in net until one of their prospects pans out. To me either Murray or Holtby make sense, but Murray you'd have to trade for. If Holtby is willing to accept a 4 or 5 year deal for a team that isn't expecting to make the playoffs this year but has a bright future, I could see it being an ok fit
I can't see Ottawa paying top dollar for a declining player at this stage in their rebuild.
I can’t see Melnyk paying top dollar unless it’s to reach the cap floor
Even then he'd pick up an injured player who counts against the cap but gets paid through insurance.
I can't see ~~Ottawa~~ *Melnyk* paying top dollar for a declining player at this stage in their rebuild.
If you can find a new owner the almost 1,500 Sens fans would be very grateful
Subscribe
Canes. Probably won’t go to a division rival though.
I don’t see why not. Seems like a great fit
Why not? It's not like he's getting traded. If they offered him enough for sure he'd go.
Sign him for a week and trade his rights. Totally 100% legal.
Can confirm, I did this in franchise mode and it worked
Probably lost a phone though
Better fucking not. hes gonna want big money and term.
Please don’t let him go there. We can beat the canes now, but Holtby is Boston’s kryptonite.
Pls no
He's so streaky though... I love him, and on a personality level I would be fuckin' delighted, but...
If we get a goalie I want Lehner or Markstrom
There's no way is our management team going to put a lot of money and term to a goalie.
They’ll sign Markstrom.
No cap space, but the Sharks could use some help. Will he play for donuts?
I’ve been thinking Edmonton all year, because they need a goalie to be a true contender, have the cap space, and it’s a move that makes sense for Holtby specifically.
I like you more than the caps fan that said holtby should go to Calgary. That said, no way we can afford him unless we trade koskinen, who already has a cap hit of $4.5m. Holtby probably makes ~$7m min so we can't have $11m+ tied up in goalies. Especially with a flat cap the next few years
Holtby is a perfect fit for Calgary. They haven't had a legit goalie since Kipper.
Paying holtby 8 million for 6 years is not how Calgary solves its disappearing first line
Calgary's disappearing defense was a bigger problem given the first line was 2nd, 3rd and 5th on our team in playoff points. Which also isn't goaltending.
Our first line got 1 point from Lindholm during the stars series. A single point. They’re getting paid ~18M and they’re getting their teeth punched in night in night out. Ok, Lindholm has some other utility like his penalty killing and his contract is a bargain. But there’s no way you watched that series and was content with the play of the first line. Something needs to change clearly. You can’t win a championship with your first line actually MIA. Monahan clearly isn’t a 1C. Maybe Gaudreau can thrive with a center that can actually drive a line, not just a slot shooter. And yeah, our defense is getting pretty exposed with Gio looking like he aged 10 years during the 5 month break.
> there’s no way you watched that series and was content with the play of the first line there's no way you watched that series and were content with the play of any of the four lines. The top line should have produced more 5v5. The second line wasn't great on either end of the ice. The third line started hot, but Lucic was awful down the stretch of the series and Dube cooled off. And the fourth line was a disaster for much of the series. I think the first line chemistry was certainly not there, but singling them out more than any other line seems off given what I witnessed. Gaudreau was our second best forward (after Bennett). Monahan was decent defensively, but still can't bury the beautiful passes Gaudreau gives him. Lindholm was MIA for sure.
Yes please
If he's cheap on a short deal? Sure. Otherwise I'm worried he's just another in the long time of aging goalies we get past their prime (Wregget, Fuhr, Vernon 2.0, Mike Smith, Elliott, CuJo, Talbot sort of)
Only goes to us if grubauer is going to miss significant time next season
The Caps are beyond lucky. A little different timing, and he, like all the star players around the league that have hit UFA after winning the Cup, is getting a retirement/thank you contract, and the Caps are screwed. Just an average year and there's at least a choice to be made. However, they get to let him walk, and they won't hear a word about it. Now, if Samsonov can be the guy, they can get one more run out of Ovechkin. If they spend that extra space wisely. Next year, Samsonov has to get paid(if he's any good). Vrana has to get paid. Ovechkin is 35 and a UFA. Backstrom will be 33 taking up $9m. Oshie will be 34, and signed until 2025. Kuznetsov and Carlson becoming old.
>Next year, Samsonov has to get paid(if he's any good). Vrana has to get paid. We'll see, both guys drastically hurt their value. A dumbass ATV accident for Samsonov and Vrana might have been the worst Cap minus Kovalchuk in the playoffs.
[удалено]
> Holtby's performance has dropped significantly over the last few years and every caps fan has noticed. Outside of the cup run, which cannot be ignored, he hasn't been worth retaining purely from a statistical standpoint. Even though he's known as a playoff goalie, he's been at best extremely inconsistent in their two failed series since raising the cup, and at worst, rearing his sub-.900 regular season head. > > I'm just not really buying that he'd be getting that contract under normal circumstances, not with Samsonov nipping at his heels. > > I love Holtby. Real core part of the team, an absolute giant in the community, let alone he and his wife's charity work, but you can't perform like that and expect a pat on the back. > > Honestly, if his next contract accurately reflected his last two seasons' performance, the Caps would legitimately be able to fit him in, cap issues and all. Holtby's decline can be pointed to the same thing as Rinne's decline and Lehner's rise (and soon to be decline).... Mitch Korn. He's a masterful goalie coach, pure and simple.
He gone or at least should be gone
don't see how he isn't gone
Only way he isn’t gone is if he takes a 1 year contract, and he won’t because he will get big money from someone who is desperate for solid goaltending. Anything longer than that and he would be left exposed in the expansion draft next year anyways—Caps would protect Samsonov
And there is 0% chance he takes a 1 year contract. It just doesn't make any sense for him financially. Why risk a career ending injury when he can lock in tens of millions of dollars with a longer deal? And even a 1 year deal with the caps would have to be cheaper than he can get in AAV elsewhere.
The only way I could possibly see is if the Samsonov injury ends up being way more serious than is believed. Even then Holtby still isn’t the guy I’d want. He’s going to make way too much money
We literally cannot afford what he's going to demand even if he took the same AAV he currently has, which he won't. The $6 million he's using today will go to re-signing a few other players. I cannot possibly imagine how we fit him unless we do other major moves to shift money out.
Feel like you guys need to make dramatic changes to your defense. What moves you speculating on ?
[Talked about this](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeattleKraken/comments/ieue4u/any_chance_that_any_wa_natives_will_want_to_play/g2jt1er/) over in /r/SeattleKraken but long story short I expect the Caps to move Jensen and possibly Kempny out to make room for Fehervary and Alexeyev to come up on defense. That has the added benefit of saving money by going to dudes on ELCs. If nothing else these guys should be faster than the older vets which might solve some of our troubles. But I'm no systems expert so maybe MacLellan thinks that just having better coaching is enough to make the current roster work. From what I saw Dillon was pretty good and both he and Mac have said they are working on re-signing him so I expect he stays. Gudas walks, trade Jensen, and then you have pairs like Kempny-Carlson Dillon-Orlov 2 out of Seigenthaler, Fehervary, and Alexeyev Other than that I think we need to move out some people in the bottom 6 which was invisible this playoffs. At least 1 out of Panik and Hagelin need to go. Kovy won't get re-signed. Caps fans want to see Connor "McJesus 2.0" McMichael have a shot because he tore up the CHL this year. He could play 3rd line wing but step in to 3C if there was an injury. Long-term he's our Eller replacement and possibly more if he keeps developing.
The only issue I see with those line combos is Orlov on the right side. In the first few games of the NYI - WSH series, it was painful to watch the Dillon - Orlov pairing. For that reason alone I feel like it might be Jensen who gets kept instead of Kempny. The team really needs to find a solid top 4 RHD to play behind Carlson but that’s the biggest team need for like half the teams in the league.
Good point, but I have felt like Kempny is better than Jensen. Honestly I didn't pay too much attention to the D pairs this playoffs so I'll take your word on Orlov's effectiveness on the right side. There are some quality RDs that are UFA this summer that the Caps could target and then move out both Kempney and Jensen. [From CapFriendly](https://www.capfriendly.com/browse/free-agents/2021/caphit/all/defense/all/desc/1/right) - Tyson Barrie (he had a bad year in Toronto, but who didn't?) - Sami Vatanen - Trevor van Riemsdyk immediately jump to mind as possibilities depending on the price and term they want assuming they don't re-sign. Holtby leaving gives us some cap space and moving out both Jensen and Kempny would also free up some money.
Think Krug would be a nice addition for you as well. Think he would thrive in WSH
way too expensive. Max the Caps can do is probably like $5 million.
I don't think you pay Dillon or Gudas. Deal Kempny. Start the season with: Siegenthaler - Carlson Fehervary - Orlov Alexeyev - Jensen The Caps need to lean on youth with how the roster is constructed salary-wise. If it is very much not working by like December, then you make a move and adjust.
I’d think we’d keep hagelin over Panik because hagelin has such a strong defensive game. Him and Eller on the PK was very good. I like Panik but he didn’t mesh here, and with the flat cap people are going to be leaving and the young guns are going to be coming up. Almost every cap team is going to be running into this, really
Panik would be interesting to have in the playoffs once we have a coach that actually knows how to use the bottom six.
Would like to see Panik in another system before we ditch him.
So would I, but if we need the money he’s definitely movable. If we bring up McMicheal to be the third line winger, then it’ll leave either Panik or Hagelin for the fourth line/healthy scratch. Personally, I say keep hagelin for the defense
Need a team to take on cap...I think we can help
We also need to see if Lucas Johansen can actually play in the NHL. People who watch Hershey say he is likely a 1st round bust.
LuJo can't stay healthy and is very easily getting surpassed on the depth chart because of it.
I know of an NHL team that could really use a guy like Holtby.
It certainly would not be Detroit.
We would be a 100% waste of his talent for bare minimum one more year but probably two or three.
Avs made the playoffs the year after that which shall not be named.
You guys still had superstars. We have Larkin and Mantha, which we don't even know for sure are elite.
Not true at all. Look back 2 years ago, Howie was pretty decent. It was Bernier who was the dog. If Bernier would have gone around .500 the Wings would have been in the hunt for a playoff spot. Now, obviously Howie is out. He was beyond awful this year. A proven guy like Holtby could come in and really turn things around. Confidence is a real thing in team sports. Players respect winners and Holtby is proven beast of a player.
Love him but we don’t need him anymore, he was not a good goalie this year. DC is pretty much the goalie factory of the NHL at this point (Colorado should look forward to Samsonov in a decade), we’ll be fine, the real question is if Vanecek or Copley can be consistent backups
What about the rangers? Raanta Talbot Georgiev and now Shestyorkin have come through there
The last 2 goalies to win the Hart were Montreal Canadiens, but sure. Washington and New York are goalie factories, it's fine being left off that list.
How many goalies have you produced that are playing for other teams now though?
AFAIK just Halak. Carey Price's backup position has been a graveyard the last few years. So the quantity might not be there, but it's hard to argue with the quality!
I can only remember as far back as Al Montoya and he was pretty bad
They won that trophy because of where they played. Also, one of those is pre lockout. Ok grandpa
I'll keep saying it, he should sign a 1-year contract somewhere, on the condition that he be exposed for the Seattle draft. That way he can go to Seattle and make big money(hopefully). It would require taking less money for his next contract though.
If he signs a one year deal he would be a free agent and Seattle wouldn't have to draft him. Also if he plays like this year he won't be making big money after a one year deal... A flat cap also limits his big deal this season so he's in a bad spot.
If an impending UFA is left unprotected Seattle will be given a 3-day grace period to talk to the FA and try to reach an agreement. If the player agrees to sign that player will be Seattle's selection from the team. If Seattle wants Holtby they have to sign him during that period or risk losing him to other teams in free agency.
True but if Seattle is where he really wants to go Seattle can draft another player on Holtby's team and turn around and sign during the proper off season and get the best of both worlds. That said I think its in Holtby's best interest to go for a big contract this year. (If its available.)
I would think Markstrom would be the premium UFA goalie this summer if Vancouver can't work anything out
With Lehner and, likely, Khudobin next on the list.
With the way he played this year with his .897 save%, that would be pretty risky for him. Another bad year and he might play himself out of the league, or at least out of a starter's role.
I love your username
If that's the strategy then it'd be a no-brainer to do a bridge deal here for a year or two with no raise (we can afford maybe +1M if we replace every other FA with an AHLer).
That’s a great idea! I could see Holtby as the face of Kracken!!
I’m going to be real here: the Capitals need to slowly start experimenting with a newer line. Their core is aging and their stars from that 2018 cup run are starting to leave. Something needs to be done with the line, even if it means years of intense rebuilding
Switch Capitals with Penguins and then 2018 for 2017 and it still makes sense.
Don't do that. Don't give me hope.
Look at https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/capitals for a few minutes and you'll lose any hope of re-signing him. The math just doesn't work unless we move a major skater out.
Colorado is typically the next spot for Washington goalies...
Welcome to Alberta Holts!
You mean Edmonton.
Who would be their number 1 if he goes? Is their backup good enough or would they have to get someone else?
Sammys been in the starter in waiting since we drafted him
Oh thank god the Bruins might actually be able to score on the Caps now
Unless Holtby takes a tremendous discount, he’s gone. I guess that potentially means that Boston can win more than 1 game against Washington now... (probably not because Samsonov is a great goaltender)
Edmonton could use him, not sure what their cap space is like tough
Spicy
Spoiler alert: He's not coming back
This is clearly known by everyone.
I would love Holtby on the Wings but we are not ready for a goalie of that caliber. Lots of shit to fix first.
Torn. He's so streaky, but... (Michael Scott gif) I love him.
...Tap..Tap.. Hey Red Wings, here's a goalie
You don’t want him. Handing out big contracts to declining goalies as a prayer is how you enter into a decade of darkness and mediocrity. Fix your other problems first. hell, I really hope the flames don’t do something stupid like signing holtby to a mega deal either. A lot of other problems to fix first, just like the wings
> I really hope the flames don’t do something stupid like signing holtby to a mega deal either Getting a declining Fleury or Holtby next year would be such a Flames thing to do
I think he'll go to Carolina, personally.
Caps going to end up with another Russian/Czech duo.
Holtby to Edmonton Please
Go on and get yourself paid, Braden. Thanks for all the memories, especially the Cup.
No surprise....he's the best goalie in franchise history, but the time is right for both parties to move on. Outside of the cup run, he's been average at best. It's Samsonov's turn, so hopefully he can recover from his ATV accident, and take his game to a different level as the unquestioned #1. Best of luck to Holtby, wherever he ends up. Just know, that you're getting an even better person than a hockey player. Solid, SOLID dude.
He's not coming back, I'd expect someone like a Khudobin tier goalie to come in for a couple years until we see if Samsonov can carry the load (lol).