The Washington Capitals are Stanley Cup champions.
The Caps rode their Vezina candidate star goalie Braden Holtby to the finish line.
In the foot notes of Caps history, it will be remembered that Holtby wasn’t the first choice goalie of Caps Head Coach Barry Trotz to begin the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. Trotz shocked the hockey world by starting backup goalie Philipp Grubauer against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the Stanley Cup tournament.
Grubauer didn’t give his team the kickstart it needed. The Blue Jackets scored 8 goals on the 49 shots attempts (4.57 GAA, .837 SV%) they threw at Grubauer. The young goalie was given the hook and was properly replaced by Holtby.
The rest is history.
Holtby was brilliant, posting a 16-7 record with 2.16 GAA, .922 SV% (639 SA, 50 GA). Holtby also authored two shutouts.
His goaltending about face was a stroke of coaching brilliance. Trotz now is in line for a lucrative long term contract extension. Had the Capitals been eliminated from playoff contention, it is very likely that he would have been terminated by the Caps.
Despite his playoff struggles, Grubauer had himself a great season. Grubauer went 15–10-3 with a 2.35 GAA, .923 SV% (953 SA, 880 saves, 73 goals against). Grubauer posted three shutouts.
Grubauer, 26, is now a Stanley Cup champion and a restricted free agent.
Grubauer now has 101 NHL regular season starts under his goalaie pads. The native of Germany has also competed internationally for his country at the IIHF World Championships and for Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey.
Grubauer is ready to graduate from the NHL goalie apprentice program to starting NHL netminder.
The young netminder is coming out of a two-year bridge contract that pays him $750K per season. He has earned a pay raise on a new long term contract that will lift him into the $2.5M to $3M AAV.
Capitals GM Brian MacLellan admitted to reporters on Wednesday that the Capitals are in the midst of exploring trade opportunities that will allow Grubauer access to achieving his dream
of being a starting goaltender in the NHL. The NHL Draft will commence in Dallas next weekend. I'm expecting MacLellan to execute a trade for Grubauer in the next 7-10 days.
Keep an eye on Jason Botterill and the Buffalo Sabres who will likely be moving on from pending
restricted free agent goalie Robin Lehner. Botterill has goalie AHL All Star prospect Linus Ullmark fully groomed and ready for prime time in Buffalo. However, Ullmark has never started more than twenty games in an NHL season. In fact, he has only 26 starts in three NHL seasons with the Sabres. Botterill should not be handing the keys to Robin Lehner’s cage just yet. Ease the kid into it. Lessen the workload on the young man by scheduling him to start 30-40 games. Trading for Grubauer would give the Sabres two excellent young goalies who can learn from one another. The Sabres wonthe NHL Draft Lottery and will be selecting Swedish D phenom Rasmus Dahlin with the number one overall pick at next Friday’s NHL Draft.
At what cost Grubauer? Botterill owns the 32nd pick in the NHL Draft. The Capitals already own pick 31. Trading Grubauer to Buffalo would give MacLellan the last pick in round one and the first pick in round two. I call that one helluva win-win trade.
Join the Discussion:
»