NHL free agency: 3 teams that need to take advantage of the goalie market
By Jasmine Yen
2. Washington Capitals
After a decade of success, the Washington Capitals and Braden Holtby seem poised for a split. With the emergence of Ilya Samsonov and Holtby’s age, it’s time for the Capitals to turn the page. However, there is a wrinkle in this plan and that’s Samsonov’s ATV injury he suffered during the season pause.
While general manager Brian MacLellan said that the goaltender will be ready for next season, putting all your trust in a rookie goaltender who has played just 26 NHL games and suffered a back and neck injury doesn’t feel like a good idea.
If the Capitals want to be contenders next season, they’re going to need to find a goaltender to share Samsonov’s workload as he eases back into the season. Having two reliable goaltenders is key for success in the NHL and the Capitals showed that with the 2019-20 season.
When Holtby started to falter, Samsonov was there to pick up the load and in the playoffs, Washington struggled as they only had Holtby left. No one was there to help out when he was struggling and the Capitals got eliminated.
MacLellan is going to want to find a veteran who is willing to sign a short contract so that he can act as Samsonov’s mentor until he’s ready to be the number one guy for Washington. Holtby’s $6.1 million cap hit will be coming off the books which gives the general manager quite a lot of money to work with.