Capitals trading for Braden Holtby would make total sense

Reunions are always special and Washington Capitals fans would easily welcome back Braden Holtby with open arms. Money was the issue with a limited salary cap which allowed Holtby to walk and make stops with the Vancouver Canucks and now currently the Dallas Stars.

Holtby’s last start was a win over the Winnipeg Jets where he stopped 39 of 42 shots. He’s 10-10-1 this season with a 2.78 goals agains average and a. .912 save percentage. That goals against average is his best one south of 3.0 since 2018-19. His saver percentage is the highest it’s been since that season. It’s time.

We are eight days away from the trade deadline and it’s very likely general manager Brian MacLellan will swing for the fences with a veteran net minder. They should not pursue Marc-Andre Fleury as that would be an awkward situation. The question is which goalie do they part ways with?

First you got Ilya Samsonov who was drafted in the first round in 2015. He had a phenomenal rookie season but then an ATV accident never made him the same. But he’s had his good moments.

Samsonov is 17-9-4 with three shutouts 2.96 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. Despite losing his last game in overtime against the Edmonton Oilers, his 36 saves kept the Caps in the game.

Vitek Vanecek was brought back from the Seattle Kraken for a reason. He’s 14-7-5 with three shutouts, a 2.35 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. He got the win in Vancouver with 23 saves on Friday night.

The question is which net minder do you go for and who do you give up? That’s the burning question facing the Caps with the trade deadline looming in eight days.

The Caps sent scouts to Dallas Stars games.Something could be brewing. And I’d rather see them make a deal with the Stars than a team like the Philadelphia Flyers. You can’t necessarily trust a division rival.

Holtby was and still is a staple in D.C. and he’ll always be a household name. He is known for more than just The Save and helping backstop the Caps to their first Stanley Cup. He also gives back to the community, particularly the LGBTQ+ community.

Even his presence at the pride parade sends a message that hockey is indeed for everyone. There might be another parade if he comes home.