Missing Holtby, ready for Samsonov
When the Washington Capitals began on- iceworkouts at training camp Monday, a familiar face was not among them for the first time in his NHLcareer.
Goaltender BradenHoltby, whohad been the team’s top goaltender since the 2012- 13 season, was thousands of miles away in Vancouver, sitting side by side and sharing a laugh with another former Capitals player, defensemanNate Schmidt.
Donning Vancouver’s blue and green, Holtby had reunited with parts of his past as he looked to move on in the present. And while Holtby was all smiles in British Columbia, his departure left a significant void inWashington.
Defenseman John Carlson and winger T. J. O shies aid Holtby’s absence was felt immediately at training camp. Carlson and Holt by had been teammates in the organization for more than a decade; Holt by was a fourth- round draft pick in 2008, the same year Carlson joined the franchise in the first round.
“It’s definitely weird,” Carlson said. “I think he’s been a constant pretty much my whole career, whether itwas inHershey [ of the AmericanHockey League] or here or in training camps. We’ve had a long run together.… I do miss him.”
Said Oshie: “Losing a guy like Holts is tough. He’s kind of the backbone of our team for a while.… I wish him and family all the best. He’s got some old Caps with him, so I’m sure he’ll be just fine.”
Holtby, 31, signed a two- year, $ 8.6 million contract with Vancouver in October, and the Canucks acquired Schmidt in a trade with Vegas a few days later. Already inVancouver was Jay Beagle, a longtime Capitals center who signed with the Canucks in 2018, just weeks afterWashington claimed theStanley Cup for the first time.
Holtby is slated to split time with Thatcher Demko, a 25- year- old considered the Canucks’ future in goal, during the pandemic- shortened season.
“You can’t say enough aboutHoltby with what he has done in the league, and to have two guys like that is exciting,” Canucks coach Travis Green said Monday during a videoconference call with reporters. “Holtby has a lot of juice left in him, and we’re in a good spot.”
Holtby’s qualities as a friend and teammate aren’t the only things missing in the Capitals dressing room. His dependability and stability in net were long staples in Washington, and he was a key member of the team’s run to the Stanley Cup.
But on the ice, Washington has turned to 23- year- old Ilya Samsonov to take over the starting role. He had a standout rookie year last season in 26 games as Holtby’s backup, going 16- 6- 2 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.55 goals- against average. But this will be the first season Samsonov is projected to be a starting goalie in theNHL.
“I never been first goalie, but I’m ready for [ the] next level right now,” he said. “This isanimportant season forme. I will be ready for [ the] start of season.”
Samsonov, who suffered an off- ice injury in his native Russia before the 2020 postseason, confirmed Tuesday that his neck and shoulderwere affected. Following a hard rehab regime, he said he feels “much, much better” than he did six months ago.
Instead of returning to Russia for the offseason, Samsonov stayed in Washington with his wife. TheCapitals helpedhimwork with a doctor, and he did rehab work up to four times perweek.
Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said Samsonov was a “full go” moving forward, and he likes what he has seen from the young Russian so far. Despite the elimination of preseason games this year, Laviolette said he isn’t too concerned about getting a fair evaluation of hisNo. 1 goalie.
“This isn’t a complete shot in the dark with regard to Samsonov,” Laviolette said. “He played last year; he playedwell.
We were waiting to see how he came back from the injury and how he’s looked and his progress there, and I think he’s off to a good start. Hewas a strong goaltender last year, and we’re hoping he can build off of that.”
Behind Samsonov, there is a battle for the backup job among 24- year- old Vitek Vanecek, who has never played an NHL regular- season game; 39- year- old Craig Anderson, who is in training camp on a tryout agreement; and 28- year- old Pheonix Copley, who wasHoltby’s backup in 2018- 19 but spent last season in the AHL. Amid coronavirus concerns, theNHLis requiring teams to carry at least three goaltenders at all times this season.
“Sammy has been brilliant when he’s been in net,” Oshie said.“We’ve got a couple of other guys that are going to have a pretty good competition to get that other spot, so I likewe’re where at.”
Note: Defenseman Zdeno Chara hit the ice for the first time in a Capitals uniform Tuesday. After passing his physicalTuesday morning, the longtime Boston Bruins captain skated with the team’s second group of the day at training camp. He is expected to skate with themain groupWednesday.