Home / News / Braden Holtby admits there’s ‘certainly a chance’ this was his final game with the Capitals

Braden Holtby admits there’s ‘certainly a chance’ this was his final game with the Capitals

By Ian Oland

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August 21, 2020 12:45 am

A sullen Braden Holtby spoke to reporters via a Zoom video conference after Washington’s 4-0 Game Five loss to the New York Islanders, Thursday. The loss marked the second-straight year the Capitals were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Holtby, who is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, was asked if he had played his last game with the Washington Capitals.

Video

“Certainly a chance it is,” Holtby said. “But who knows. You live one day at a time and go from there. More right now it’s just, this [loss] going to sting a little bit.”

He repeated, “We take it one day at a time and see where it goes from here.”

Read more: This is a Braden Holtby appreciation post

During his 10 seasons in Washington, Holtby won the Stanley Cup, the Vezina Trophy (as best goaltender), and was named to five All-Star Games (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). The Canadian goalie had a career record of 282-122-46 in the regular season and won 50 total games during his postseason career.

“I’m just disappointed,” Holtby said. “We had more to give and we just didn’t find a way to do that. That’s never a fun thing to go through. It’s one of those things, they played well. They earned the win. We wish them the best of luck, but it’s more frustrating for us that we had more to give and we didn’t find a way to do it.”

At the end of the handshake line, Holtby had a long chat with former head coach Barry Trotz – the man who led the Capitals to their first and only Stanley Cup championship in 2018.

“Obviously, we had a lot of success when he was here. A guy that, myself, I have a ton of respect for,” Holtby said. “He’s an honest guy. I just wished him the best because he’s one of the good guys in hockey.”

Full RMNB Coverage of WSH/NYI Game Five

Screenshot: Zoom

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