Could the Capitals be ready to bring a Star home?

The NHL trade deadline is a little over a month away. While we don’t have the best sources like the big boys do, we can get a general sense of who teams are going for by seeing which games they send scouts for. The Washington Capitals are rumored to be going after either a veteran goalie or a forward with T.J. Oshie and Anthony Mantha out.

While the Dallas Stars were at home, Saad Yosuf of The Athletic reported which scouts are in the press box. It just so happens that the Caps sent scouts to their last three home games. Hmmmm….

There is one more meeting left with the Stars this season which comes on March 20. It’s Braden Holtby’s homecoming and the scouting could be getting ready to help Brian MacLellan figure out a move to make with the deadline the next day.

But could we be seeing the ultimate Braden Holtby homecoming with him donning red once again? That could possibly happen. He surrendered five goals against the Caps last month. He’s started in one game since which was a loss to the Colorado Avalanche. This season Holtby is 9-10-1 with a 2.78 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. Big improvements compared to the last two years.

If the Caps aren’t interested in bringing back Holtby perhaps they’re eyeing a forward. Joe Pavelski or Alexander Radulov might fit in. Both are forward that are set to be unrestricted free agents after the season. Pavelski has 21 goals and 31 assists for 52 points while Radulov has two goals and 14 assists for 16 points.

The Caps are good stocked on defense but then there is John Klingberg who requested a trade from the Stars in early January. It’s doubtful the Caps go after him.

Overall I would actually be all for a Holtby reunion in D.C. As long as we get the Holtby version that helped the Caps win the Stanley Cup in 2018. It would be crazy and a bit ironic if the Caps flipped Ilya Samsonov for Holtby as when Samsonov was drafted in the first round in 2015 it looked like for sure Holtby would be gone in a few years.

Holtby bought a house in D.C. not too long ago and once even attended a Washington Nationals game over the offseason. So he always considers this place home and we would welcome him back with open arms.