Quoting: masterjuddi
I like the Crawford signing. It provided support, but also allows Crawford to show the rest of the NHL that he's still got it (if he does).
Caps seemingly played this G situation out perfectly with the contract to Holtby and how it expired right when the goalie of the future appears ready to start. I would feel bad for Holtby if he didnt win a cup, plus he'll get paid as a UFA
Agreed on the Holtby front. I think the Caps are only interested in bringing back Holtby if he'll come back on a short-term deal. I think that'll depend on how he performs down the stretch. He's having his worst year as a full-time starter this season, and that doesn't bode very well for getting a contract in the ballpark of Sergei Bobrovsky, especially with how that deal has panned out for the Panthers so far. Look at Holtby's career stats prior to this season vs this season:
Career stats prior to this season:
GP: 420, GS: 411, Record: 257-108-40, SV%: .9198, GAA: 2.446, SO: 35, Quality Start %: .588, Really Bad Starts: 54
This season:
GP: 33, GS: 33, Record: 18-9-4, SV%: .897, GAA: 3.09, SO: 0, QS%: .424, Really Bad Starts: 8
He has a lot of red flags going into UFA. Depending on how many suitors he has, and what their offers are, I wouldn't necessarily be surprised if the Caps brought him back on a 2 year deal potentially, with a relatively stable AAV with where he is today. The biggest contributors into why this likely won't happen is that after next season, the Caps will need to have new contracts for Jakub Vrana, Alex Ovechkin, and Ilya Samsonov. The only real reason the Caps keep Holtby around is for his body of work for the Caps over a decade, and being sentimental.