Washington Capitals mock offseason: Scorched earth rebuild

What About Holtby?

Braden Holtby is the safest of the Washington Capitals current core. He’s under contract for the next three years and he’s shown he’s capable of carrying the team for extended stretches. Yes, Holtby stunk in the postseason, but the long-term sample size suggests the Caps have an elite goalie. I’ll take the bigger sample size over the much smaller one everyday.

However, the Capitals should at least explore trading Holtby if they want to do a full rebuild. He could net them a huge return, potentially even larger than Backstrom’s. There are some very desperate teams out there who need goaltending. Washington should wait until a team comically overpays because eventually, someone will. But who might they be?

How about the Calgary Flames? They already need to add two goaltenders this offseason. With the free agency market looking bleak, the Flames likely have to add someone via a trade. Holtby would put an end to their goaltending revolving door.

The Dallas Stars just gave up a draft pick for Ben Bishop‘s negotiating rights, so they’re likely out. Don’t count out the Winnipeg Jets, who might be just desperate enough to trade for a franchise goalie.

A huge dark horse could be the Montreal Canadiens. This would only occur if they can’t extend Carey Price. But if you’re going to lose a Vezina Trophy winner, why not replace him with another one? However, if made now, this trade has to include Price. The Washington Capitals could always flip him immediately to a goaltending needy team, but this likely complicates things a bit.