For the first time in his NHL career, Braden Holtby will not be wearing a Washington Capitals jersey. The 31-year-old signed a two-year, $8.6 million deal with the Vancouver Canucks this offseason. The veteran goaltender has a similar story right now to Jonathan Quick and Pekka Rinne in that not too long ago he was regarded as one of the best in the game, but has fallen off in a big way the past few seasons.
Holtby too has some very impressive hardware to his name, including both a Vezina and William Jennings Trophy. He and his Capitals teammates were also finally able to win a Stanley Cup in 2018. While Holtby was incredible during the Playoff run, he struggled that regular season and has in the two since. What makes his struggles even more head scratching is the fact that he was playing behind one of the most dominant teams in the league.
The reason Holtby comes ahead of both Quick and Rinne on this list, however, is that he shouldn’t be washed up yet having just turned 31 two months ago. Perhaps a change of scenery is the exact spark he needs to become elite once again. Having a potential chip on his shoulder that the Capitals elected not to re-sign him shouldn’t hurt, either.
Coming right above Holtby is his former teammate, Philipp Grubauer. Grubauer was the Capitals backup for three full seasons and posted great numbers during that time with a combined record of 43-31-11 with a 2.29 Goals Against Average and a .923 Save Percentage.
As a result, many teams looking for a starting netminder were in on him, and the Colorado Avalanche ended up being able to make the Capitals the best offer.
Unfortunately, his first two seasons with the Avs have been injury riddled, as he has appeared in just 73 games. When he has been able to play, he has been fine, but far from spectacular. In fact, backup Pavel Francouz outplayed him by a wide margin last year, posting a 21-7-4 record compared to Grubauer’s 18-12-4.
Heading into the 2020-21 season, Grubauer will get the chance to be the team’s starter, though that could change in a hurry if he struggles or isn’t able to stay healthy. Despite being just 28-years-old, this may be his last chance to prove he is a true number one goalie in the NHL.
Given that he plays behind such a stacked team, it isn’t hard to picture him having a big year. If not however, Colorado’s goalie situation may look different in a year’s time.
Ilya Samsonov is one of the tougher goalies to currently rank on this list, as he has just 26 NHL games to his name. The Capitals are very high on him, though, and for good reason. The 22nd pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft has a ton of potential, and had a decent rookie season playing behind Holtby last year.
While his numbers last year were solid, a 16-6-2 record with a 2.55 GAA and a .913 SV%, it is important to note that he was able to mostly get good matchups playing as a backup, and was also behind a very talented Capitals team. This upcoming season, he will be relied upon against the NHL’s other top teams in the league, and it remains to be seen whether or not he is ready for that role at just 23-years-old.
A huge positive for Samsonov is that he will have a fantastic mentor in former New York Ranger Henrik Lundqvist as his backup. Lundqvist struggled over the past few seasons with the Rangers, and they decided to buy him out as a result.
While he didn’t appear to have a ton left in the tank with the Rangers, perhaps switching to a team that could easily win another Stanley Cup will help him elevate his play. For now, the net is Samsonov’s, but it’s something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
We’ll be back with the second part of our NHL Goalie Rankings in the coming days, so stay tuned!