Washington Capitals 2014-15 Season Review: Braden Holtby
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports0
The Washington Capitals put a ton of faith in Braden Holtby by declaring him the starting goalie. He made them look smart for not overreacting and signing Ryan Miller.
The Washington Capitals had a successful season in 2014-2015. Here at Stars and Sticks, we’ll analyze each of the Washington Capitals and their season. We continue with the Washington Capitals breakout performer and budding star in net, Braden Holtby.
THE GOOD: After an unbalanced and disappointing season under Adam Oates, Braden Holtby came into the year a question mark in net for the Washington Capitals. There was a lot to be proven under new head coach Barry Trotz and noted goalie guru Mitch Korn. Holtby had shown flashes as a dominant net-minder before for the Washington Capitals in seasons and playoffs prior. It was up to him and the coaching staff to make that potential a reality, and boy, did he ever respond.
Holtby appeared in 73 of the 82 games during the regular season — the most out of any goaltender in the league. But the fatigue didn’t get to him — it only proved how dominant he was in the crease, and how valuable he was to the Washington Capitals. Winning 41 of those starts, tied for second-most in the NHL, Holtby posted stellar numbers. A .923 SV% and a 2.22 GAA were amongst the best in the league. He was outstanding on the penalty kill.
Yet even more impressive was that Holtby faced the most shots amongst goaltenders in the league — only him and Tuukka Rask saw more than 2000 shots towards them during the regular season. Surely the Capitals defense, with the additions of Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik, was vastly improved in 2014-15 (anything really was after the Oates debacle.) But Holtby was successfully active in net, and backstopped his team with aplomb. He seemed to thrive under high pressure in key situations, and stepped up his game when most needed.
Things got even better for the goalie during the playoffs. He gave the Capitals a .944 SV% and a 1.71 GAA, outdueling Jaroslav Halak in the first round and keeping up with Henrik Lundqvist in the second. Holtby’s always been a strong postseason performer — just ask the Boston Bruins in 2011. Actually, he has THE highest playoff save percentage of all time. This is not an opinion, it’s a fact. The Washington Capitals have found their franchise goaltender. They had been looking for one ever since Olaf Kolzig retired.
THE BAD: While Holtby had a great bounce-back season, it’s important to keep his stellar numbers in check. There were several soft goals he let in that made Capitals fans scratch their heads. Yet they knew all along that he could sustain this sort of play, and a season to forget in 2013-14 makes these numbers look very good.
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Also, while Holtby deserves most of the credit for his stellar season, the Washington Capitals defense also played a pretty big role in it. In certain areas, Holtby was largely the same as he was in 2013-2014.
Perhaps we’re a bit spoiled in that regard. But if Braden Holtby can take the next step in the 2015-16 season with a Carey Price-like season, then perhaps he can be considered part of the company of elite goaltenders by people outside of the Washington Capitals fanbase (and maybe other fanbases that have had their hopes devoured by the Holtbeast). That status would easily give the Capitals a greater chance of lifting the Stanley Cup, despite shortcomings in other areas.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: Braden Holtby’s 2014-15 season was excellent in many ways. He’s proven himself to be the goaltender of the present and the future for the Washington Capitals. A restricted free agent this summer, he’s lined himself up for a big time pay raise. That added cost, and an optimistic look towards next year, will only increase the pressure on his shoulders to lead the Capitals to the promised land. But it’s hard not to like the direction he’s going in under Barry Trotz and Mitch Korn.
DISCUSSION: Braden Holtby’s eliteness is no longer up for debate. He has shown that he is elite, or at worst, on the very cusp of it. Keeping him is a must for the Washington Capitals. How much should his next contract be? Want to go short-term for less risk, or long-term for more risk?
Next: Braden Holtby's Next Contract