So Braden Holtby is a back up now?

[chaser17]

This is a horrible signing by benning since we should have transitioned to demko as number 1 and go with a actual hack up and save on the 4.3 million dollar cap hit which we could have allocated towards something else or using it to sign toffoli. There is no point bringing in a 4.3 mill to play back up. Like what is this demko has allowed 4 even strength goals on the last 5 starts and 6 goals in total. He’s the teams number 1 now that 4.3 mill also in the way of next years cap. Wtf is Jb doing.

no argument from me. He’s a back up level goalie who can provide leadership and mentor ship to starter if he’s the younger 1. That’s it.

To play devils advocate a little bit here, what if Demko was given full confidence and given the starting job but wasn't able to perform well enough yet as the #1? I'm sure there would be lots of people complaining that Benning didn't have a capable backup at the ready.

Also, i'm sure holtby with 1 year remaining won't be all that difficult to move to make cap space for next year.

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

Oilers need him to keep Kevin Lowe's rings shined because they aren't going to shine themselves.

Holtby even has a connection to Hockey Canada.

 

[Ottobot]

He was the just-in-case plan. Thank god it’s only short term.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

To play devils advocate a little bit here, what if Demko was given full confidence and given the starting job but wasn't able to perform well enough yet as the #1? I'm sure there would be lots of people complaining that Benning didn't have a capable backup at the ready.

Also, i'm sure holtby with 1 year remaining won't be all that difficult to move to make cap space for next year.

Benning still doesn't have a capable backup at the ready. As for the bolded:

 

[lawrence]

To play devils advocate a little bit here, what if Demko was given full confidence and given the starting job but wasn't able to perform well enough yet as the #1? I'm sure there would be lots of people complaining that Benning didn't have a capable backup at the ready.

Also, i'm sure holtby with 1 year remaining won't be all that difficult to move to make cap space for next year.

That’s probably it, but we need to take that risk and show him some confidence just like how philly made hart their number 1 at 22 years old. There’s not much more demko could have shown during his playoff debut. What more does benning want? Also we are a cap era. Risks have to be made.

 

[Hatfield]

The Cup run was probably his last hurrah. He wasn’t great that season, or the next season, or last season. Actually he sucked last season.

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

Thing is, he is still probably better than Mike "The Gambler" Smith.

 

[Hivemind]

Holtby's decline started pre-Cup. He lost his starting job to Grubauer in the 2018 season, and Grubby actually started the first 2 games of the playoffs as well. Fortunately, Holtby found his god-mode game again in the 2018 playoffs, and played some of the best hockey he had during that stretch. But he returned to Earth following the Cup, and his decline became even more rapid in 2019-20.

Holtby's all world level seasons all came under Mitch Korn. For whatever reason no other goalie coach has ever coaxed the same level of performance from him, before or after.

Holtby was pretty damn good under Dave Prior as well. He was generally good pre-Korn, minus the stretch in which Adam Oates decided he was smarter than the goalie coaches and tried to change Holtby's game. It eventually led to Olaf Kolzig, who was the Caps goalie coach then, leading a mini-rebellion and instructing Holtby to ignore Oates' micromanagement. Korn came in after that, and obviously helped both Holtby and Grubauer perform at very high levels.

 

[Confused Turnip]

Holtby's decline started pre-Cup. He lost his starting job to Grubauer in the 2018 season, and Grubby actually started the first 2 games of the playoffs as well. Fortunately, Holtby found his god-mode game again in the 2018 playoffs, and played some of the best hockey he had during that stretch. But he returned to Earth following the Cup, and his decline became even more rapid in 2019-20.



Holtby was pretty damn good under Dave Prior as well. He was generally good pre-Korn, minus the stretch in which Adam Oates decided he was smarter than the goalie coaches and tried to change Holtby's game. It eventually led to Olaf Kolzig, who was the Caps goalie coach then, leading a mini-rebellion and instructing Holtby to ignore Oates' micromanagement. Korn came in after that, and obviously helped both Holtby and Grubauer perform at very high levels.

I was wondering if someone would bring this up. Yes, Holtby won championships before the NHL, has pedigree and put up remarkable numbers before Trotz. I remember annoying my friends over 10 years ago with how Holtby was gonna be team Canada's future goalie (would've been in 2018 I think) and that's why we didn't need Varlamov, etc. But the perennial Vezina candidate Holtby was another level that he only showed in the Korn years (which also coincided with his peak age, to be fair).

That's not a knock on Dave Prior. Washington produced so many starter quality goalies under him it was ridiculous (everyone from Kolzig to Neuvirth basically) and he's done some pretty great work since Washington too. Just that for whatever reason that best in the league calibre Holtby only came out on Korn's watch so far.

 

[nashnaidoo]

Without the benefit of hindsight it was a good move to pick-up Holtby for a number of reasons.

1. To give Demko support as he grows into the starter.
2. Provide Seattle a goalie for the expansion.
3. Have a legit 2nd goalie during the compressed season.

The AAV wasn't high and you're rid of him quickly. Were you expecting him to sign for 1.5 million for 1 year?

I've never been a fan, but the Canucks risk is low and solves three needs.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Holtby's been more or less replacement level or worse since 2016-17. He cost them the Penguins series that year and he was atrocious in the Hurricanes series in 2019, especially in Game 7. If he has even an average game against Carolina in Game 7 the Caps win that going away. He looked broken most of the Cup year and that team probably doesn't even make the playoffs and Trotzy gets canned by the trade deadline if Grubi didn't save them.

Will always love Holtbeast and he's the best to ever do it in DC but he's been on a steady decline for years, his brilliant performance in the 2018 Cup run notwithstanding.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Holtby plays his best when he sees more games. He needs to be playing more and watch his stats go up. He's pretty much a modern day Mike Smith. When either have lots of games they play at their best.

 

[WATTAGE4451]

Holtby plays his best when he sees more games. He needs to be playing more and watch his stats go up. He's pretty much a modern day Mike Smith. When either have lots of games they play at their best.

He was a starter all last year and played just as horrible as he did this year. He was a starter 2 years before that when he started declining.

He has been given more starts than vancouver has had to give a backup because of their investment in him.

Playing times got nothing to do with it. Hes just bad now. I dont get why thats so hard to grasp. It happens to everyone. His decline just happened at an earlier age than most.

 

[Empoleon8771]

To play devils advocate a little bit here, what if Demko was given full confidence and given the starting job but wasn't able to perform well enough yet as the #1? I'm sure there would be lots of people complaining that Benning didn't have a capable backup at the ready.

Also, i'm sure holtby with 1 year remaining won't be all that difficult to move to make cap space for next year.

Didn't Winnipeg have to pay assets to get out of the last year of Mason's contract? And that was with Mason playing better than Holtby has this year.

 

[mattihp]

After last years playoffs catastrophe with Franoucs, Sakic would be nuts if he didn't make a move for an upgrade in the backup position. The Avs playoff hopes went right down the drain once Grubauer went down.

Sounds like the nucks Cloutier problem. They were toast in the regular season if they didnt overplay him. Then they were toast in the playoffs because he was gassed.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

He was a starter all last year and played just as horrible as he did this year. He was a starter 2 years before that when he started declining.

He has been given more starts than vancouver has had to give a backup because of their investment in him.

Playing times got nothing to do with it. Hes just bad now. I dont get why thats so hard to grasp. It happens to everyone. His decline just happened at an earlier age than most.

Well I think he's far from finished, the guy is only 31 years old. Will he put up another Vezina year? No but I think he's capable of still putting up a couple more solid years as a starter.

When he was on Washington, he was at his best when he saw a lot of rubber and he was their go to guy. Some guys just don't do well when sitting on the bench, I think it's a mental thing. I believe a lot of Holtby's problems to be a mental issue in getting prepared and in game shape, not so much agility and coordination.

Get him a good goalie coach and watch him have a bounce back season when Seattle signs him as their starter.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Sounds like the nucks Cloutier problem. They were toast in the regular season if they didnt overplay him. Then they were toast in the playoffs because he was gassed.

Colorado needs to learn from last years playoffs mistakes in failing to have a solid back up. They would have gone to the SCF if Pavel Francouis didn't crap the bed IMO. Can't take that Superman like playoff performance that MacKinnon put up for granted.

 

[Hivemind]

Holtby's been more or less replacement level or worse since 2016-17. He cost them the Penguins series that year
.

Don’t agree that he cost them that Pens series. He had an awful game 2, no doubt, so you can spin that as a difference in a 7 game series if you want. But the Caps won every game in which they scored at least 3 goals. They lost the 4 in which they didn’t. Holtby was good enough to help them get to game 7, and then they got shutout (again). Holtby didn’t steal the series, but he’s also no more at fault than most of the team. Their offense and depth scoring let them down (again). They had no goals from forwards other than Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Backstrom, Burakovsky, and Oshie. Not a single other forward scored in all 7 games. You’re not going to win many series when more than half of your forwards can’t find the twine.

 

[WATTAGE4451]

Well I think he's far from finished, the guy is only 31 years old. Will he put up another Vezina year? No but I think he's capable of still putting up a couple more solid years as a starter.

When he was on Washington, he was at his best when he saw a lot of rubber and he was their go to guy. Some guys just don't do well when sitting on the bench, I think it's a mental thing. I believe a lot of Holtby's problems to be a mental issue in getting prepared and in game shape, not so much agility and coordination.

Get him a good goalie coach and watch him have a bounce back season when Seattle signs him as their starter.

He was a starter last year in washington and it didnt help so theres no evidence his poor play is linked to that. And the reason he doesnt play as a starter anymore is because of his poor play.


And honestly while he won a cup in 2018(his vezina wasnt in 2018 like you said inyour op, it was 2016), his 2017-2018 as well as 2018-2019 seasons were average to below average starter level as a goaltender. He was terrible til last year but his decline started 4 years ago.

I dont see that just suddenly reversing. Maybe theres an injury or maybe with a goaltending coach he could rebound to that average level from 2017-2019, but his best days are clearly behind him and hes lucky he got that final contract.

I dont see him as a starter in the nhl anymore. Honestly, if his name werent holtby, hed have a harder time finding a job as a backup when this contract is over but teams will take chance on him as backup because of his potential and track record.

 

[actuallynotPJStock]

Thing is, he is still probably better than Mike "The Gambler" Smith.

I was under the impression that Smith was having a bounce back season right now. Or are you referring to a larger sample size than just this season.

 

[WATTAGE4451]

Thing is, he is still probably better than Mike "The Gambler" Smith.

Mike smith is inconsistent and his play so far wont last, but its weird to see you post this when mike smith is currently having the 2nd best season of his career.

 

[Scorvat]

Without the benefit of hindsight it was a good move to pick-up Holtby for a number of reasons.

1. To give Demko support as he grows into the starter.
2. Provide Seattle a goalie for the expansion.
3. Have a legit 2nd goalie during the compressed season.

The AAV wasn't high and you're rid of him quickly. Were you expecting him to sign for 1.5 million for 1 year?

I've never been a fan, but the Canucks risk is low and solves three needs.

Their are other goalies we could have picked up through trade or free agency that would have been cheaper and better then Holtby and allow us to allocate money to more pressing needs such as the bottom 6 and defense

 

[chaser17]

Didn't Winnipeg have to pay assets to get out of the last year of Mason's contract? And that was with Mason playing better than Holtby has this year.

Montreal got armia and then subsequently bought mason out lol, would van be that desperate? Guess we'll see.