Players come and go, but when they seem like a permanent fixture of the team, and then they’re gone, it’s just plain hard. The latest is Braden Holtby, who signed with the Vancouver Canucks to a 2-year, $8.6M contract ($4.3M AAV), according to reports. Either way, he’s no longer a Cap.
The 31-year old goaltender, known fondly as Holtbeast, began his junior hockey career with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL). In his second WHL season, he was drafted by the Capitals in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.