Hello. This is the Braden Holtby season review, and I’m going to begin by saying I TOLD YOU SO.
This article is less a real review and more of a shameless celebration of Holtby, who is elite.
By the Numbers
| 73 | Games played |
| .923 | Save percentage, all situations |
| 2.22 | Goals against average, which is not a goalie stat |
| 2 | Assists (hell yeah) |
| .932 | Save percentage during 5v5, 7th best* |
| .972 | Low-danger save percentage during 5v5, 17th best |
| .924 | Medium-danger save percentage during 5v5, 21st best |
| .865 | High-danger save percentage during 5v5, 2nd best |
* Among NHL goalies with at least 2000 5v5 minutes played
Peter’s Take
Reversing the incompetence of last year’s defensive system alone should do (modestly appreciable) wonders for Holtby’s numbers. Undoing Oates’ ill-advised tweaks and adding Korn to the diet should help as well. And icing in front of Holtby the best defensive roster this team has seen in at least 15 years, well, this may very well be a Vezina season for Braden.
Braden isn’t gonna win the Vezina (Price, in a walk), but he played good enough to earn the elite label. Here are the best goalies of the last decade, each with at least 5000 shots faced.
| Player | Shots Faced | Save Percentage |
| Rask | 7463 | .926 |
| Schneider | 5804 | .925 |
| Vokoun | 13003 | .921 |
| Holtby | 5166 | .921 |
| Lundqvist | 17398 | .921 |
| Thomas | 12704 | .920 |
| Price | 12899 | .919 |
| Rinne | 10635 | .919 |
| Bobrovsky | 6711 | .918 |
| Luongo | 17356 | .918 |
That’s a good list, and Holtby’s in a good spot, because he also is good.
This season, Holtby led the league in games played (73, which is more than Mike Green, who is not a goalie), games started (71), shots faced (2044), saves (1887), and quality starts (45). That last one is something of a fancy statistic, and I’ll get even a bit fancier with this next one: save percentage on high-danger shots, in which Holtby was second best.
Again: If Price weren’t ridiculously good for a ridiculously bad team, Holtby would have a great case to win the Vezina. For example: nine shutouts– including a perfect three against Boston (88 shots, 88 saves).
This is usually the part where I reach back in time to embed snide criticism from Twitter (“Trade Holtby!” “Average goaltender at best!”), but I’m in too good of a mood. Braden put me there. The only matter left to discuss is his next contract.
Elliotte Friedman tells me that the Caps want to buy into some of Holtby’s unrestricted years on his next contract. For years and years this franchise has made its bones by never overpaying or over-committing to a goalie. But they’ve never had a goalie this good. Braden Holtby is gonna get paid, and he’s gonna deserve it.
Holtbeast on RMNB
- We begin with Holtbyisms, Ian’s ongoing effort to document every weird thing Holtby does before and during games. There are many, and you will not be disappointed if you follow this link.
- Braden’s wizardly ways extended into the postseason, where– for a while– he put up the greatest playoff performance everrrrrrr. It even got covered in the NYT. Meanwhile NBC Sports called him Kolzig because they’re generally a bad organization.
- They playoffs were filled with well-deserved hugs. Also, his beard tried to eat his face.
- And yet we’re always gonna be thinking about the one save he missed– with just 101 seconds between the Caps and the conference finals.
- Two weeks earlier, Holtby got a case of the ol’ north and south, missing one big playoff game: his first game missed to illness ever, so you know it had to be a pretty bad case of the ol’ north and south. The ol’ north and south is what my grandma calls it, and now it’s what I call it as well.
- Good times: when Holtby sent Vanek’s stick yonder.
- More good times: when he decked Marchand.
- Even gooder times: he got a puck stuck in his trousers and writhed all over the crease while we giggled.
- Ugh, he’s so great. And to think he could have been a farmer instead. I wonder if his farming workload would have been a problem. I doubt it.
- Hey, before the Caps and Holtby sign that big contract, peep at what his actual value to the club is. The contract might be a bargain.
- And maybe on that new contract, Holtby will accomplish what I think we can all admit is his actual primary objective: scoring an NHL goal.
- Finally, I think this was our best tweet of the season.
"I hope I never reach the top of my game." – Braden Holtby, zen as fuck
— RMNB (@rmnb) February 4, 2015
Your Turn
Braden Holtby’s elite label is not up for discussion. The matter is settled. Instead, let’s discuss contract terms. Long-term, eating up UFA years? Bridge contract to defer the big payday? Dollars?
Read more: Japers Rink
