San Jose Sharks: 3 free agent goalies to target in the offseason
By Matt Hawkins
Honorable Mention: Braden Holtby
Braden Holtby may be the most interesting case of a potential free agent goalie. This season is the worst season of his career, but he’ll probably still make top dollar because of his name and track record.
At 30-years-old, Holtby played in 465 games in his career and has a career 2.53 GAA, .916 SV%, .580 QS%, and 35 shutouts. Yet, his numbers this year stray far from his career numbers.
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In 45 games this year, Holtby sports an ugly 3.12 GAA, .898 SV%, and .455 QS%. If it wasn’t for a great offense and Calder Trophy candidate, goalie Ilya Samsonov, the Washington Capitals may not be in a playoff spot right now.
However, even with Holtby playing as poor as he has this season, he’ll probably still demand and receive a nice contract this offseason because he’s Braden Holtby.
When his current five-year deal with an AAV of $6.1 million ends after this season, Holtby will probably be asking for a four-to-five-year deal with an AAV between $6 million and $8 million.
However, if teams aren’t interested because of this terrible season, Holtby may have to resort to a one-to-two-year contract with an AAV between $4 million and $5 million. If the Sharks land Holtby they are either going to get a Vezina winning goalie or another Martin Jones.
With this season, what should be a great signing of a Vezina and Stanley Cup-winning goalie is now a risky one. But if the Sharks wish to be a contender next year, they need to figure out their problems in goal.
Next. San Jose Sharks: Martin Jones continues to be frustratingly inconsistent. dark
With how difficult it would be to move Jones, the best option is to find a suitable goalie in free agency that can either platoon with Jones by starting around half of the games or find someone in free agency that can start most of the games.