NHL Awards: Looking Forward To 2015-16 Season
By Adam Savard
Braden Holtby – Washington Capitals
May 13, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby (70) reacts against the New York Rangers during overtime in-game seven of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers defeated the Capitals 2 – 1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Holtby found his groove at a perfect time heading into restricted free agency. He’s getting a good raise for next year at least, depending on if he goes to arbitration or not. The extra cash will add pressure I think he can hold up to.
Holtby compared well to every goaltender in the league not named Carey Price. He should again be among the wins leaders considering all the goal support he’s getting. Entering his peak years, Holtby should be ready for another standout season.
Combine that with Price coming back to Earth a bit and the Vezina will shape up to be one of the more competitive NHL awards next season. Pekka Rinne will be in the mix as well as Corey Crawford, Henrik Lundqvist and Price, just to name a few. It’s likely with more goaltenders posting similar stats, first place votes will be split evenly, while second and third place votes could default to the goaltender winning the most games or posting the best save percentage.
The best thing the Capitals can do for Holtby next season is find another defenseman (and pay him). With over $11 million to the cap and only six defensemen signed, Washington could be the landing spot for Cody Franson or Christian Ehrhoff. More help on the blue line will boost the Capitals, placing them among the élite team in the Eastern Conference with the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers.
Holtby is a long-shot compared to Price, Lundqvist and Rinne. I expect the Rangers to slide a bit with changes they’ve made up front and Rinne seems to miss just enough games with injuries to cost him votes. In a season where I believe voting will be very close for the Vezina, Braden Holtby will leave the 2016 NHL awards ceremony with the Vezina Trophy.
Next: 2016 NHL Awards - Jack Adams Trophy