Braden Holtby

Braden Holtby

35-Year-Old GoalieG
 Free Agent  
Free Agent
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Braden Holtby in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Stars in July of 2021.
Pondering future
GFree Agent
Lower Body
July 12, 2022
Holtby (lower body) is not expected to participate in Wednesday's free-agent frenzy, and it's possible he could retire, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Holtby's recovery from a lower-body injury suffered in March has apparently taken a bad turn, which leaves the future of his playing career in doubt. He had 10-10-1 record with a 2.78 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 24 games with the Stars, but was overtaken by Jake Oettinger midseason. With Holtby facing free agency and an uncertain future, fantasy managers can likely leave him off their radar in the fall.
Read More News
NHL Stats
Loading Goalie Stats...
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2021 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2020 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2019 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2018 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2017 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2016 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2024–25 Time On Ice Stats
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Braden Holtby See More
NHL Picks: NHL Team Futures and Stanley Cup Picks for 2023-24 Season
October 9, 2023
Grant Leonard breaks down the NHL odds and lines up his best bets for NHL Division Winners, Conference Winners, Presidents' Trophy, and of course, the Stanley Cup.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
Holtby posted career lows in GAA (3.11) and save percentage (.897) with a 25-14-6 record in 48 contests last year. It would be his final season with the Capitals, who let him walk in free agency. Holtby signed a two-year deal with the Canucks, where he'll find himself in a timeshare with playoff hero Thatcher Demko. The 31-year-old Holtby is likely going to mentor Demko over the course of his new contract, but that should still afford him the chance to start roughly 50 percent of the games. His 40-win seasons may be well behind him now, but a Canucks team on the rise could still get him over the 20-win mark in 2020-21. Fantasy managers may be concerned with a defense in transition that could force Holtby to face a lot of pucks -- the Canucks yielded 33.3 shots per game last year, fourth-most in the league.
Since taking command of the crease, Holtby has been one of the top goalies in the NHL over the last several seasons. However, herein lies a perfect illustration in the differences between real sports and fantasy sports. The 29-year-old is a rock for the Capitals, but his 2.82 GAA and .915 save percentage from 2018-19 are, at best, rather pedestrian. Entering the final year of his five-year, $30.5 million contract and with heir apparent Ilya Samsonov waiting in the wings, Holtby has all the incentives needed to get back to his Vezina-worthy ways in 2019-20. However, fantasy owners would be wise to keep their expectations in check even though his upside remains considerably high.
It's safe to say that no goalie across the NHL experienced a wilder 2017-18 campaign than Holtby. A perennial Vezina Trophy contender coming in, he finished the regular season with a career-worst 2.99 GAA and .907 save percentage, tainting an otherwise respectable 34-16-4 record. In a shocking development, Holtby was even stationed on the bench to start the playoffs. Not only would he reclaim his crease in short order, but the Saskatchewan native backstopped Washington to its long-awaited Stanley Cup win. With Grubauer now in Colorado and a rookie in Pheonix Copley likely to claim his spot, Holtby's grasp on the starter's job is once again secure. However, the Capitals lost celebrated goalie coach Mitch Korn and chief bench boss Barry Trotz to the Islanders, making it even tougher to predict which version of Holtby will show up this year.
Holtby gave himself a tough act to follow by putting up an NHL-record-tying 48 victories and winning a Vezina Trophy in 2015-16, but he actually managed to one-up himself last year, which is quite an achievement. He notched new personal bests (not counting his 14-game rookie stint) with a 2.07 GAA and .925 save percentage, along with a career-high-tying nine shutouts, even though he “only” won 42 games… and the William M. Jennings Trophy. Just 28 years old entering the 2017-18 campaign, he’s still got a lot of elite-level production ahead of him, and it certainly doesn't hurt that he plays behind a Capitals team that continues to retain a veteran core (Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, John Carlson) in its prime. There’s no reason to think Holtby won't post a fourth straight season of 40-plus wins with a GAA of 2.22 or better and a save percentage in the .920s.
Sometimes less is more. Holtby should agree, as he started six fewer games last year than the previous season’s 72, but despite posting nearly identical ratios, he ended up with 48 wins, tying Martin Brodeur’s all-time NHL record and winning him a Vezina Trophy. What do you do for an encore to that performance? Almost any season is a disappointment by comparison, but Holtby is still as good as they come between the pipes, the top fantasy goalie not named Carey Price. One of the most innately competitive players in the entire sport, Holtby has a way of elevating his play for big games – even though the Capitals were knocked out of the playoffs in the second round, he finished the postseason with a 1.72 GAA and .942 save percentage. Those would be spectacular numbers for just about anyone, but they’re pretty much just the norm for Holtby in the playoffs. He deserves to have a Stanley Cup already for the way he’s played, but no worries; there’s plenty of time, as he’s only entering his age-27 campaign. With the Capitals’ high-flying offense in front of him, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see the workhorse crack 40 wins for a third straight year.
Holtby is developing into a member of the NHL’s upper crust of goaltenders. He’s coming off a career year, having racked up 41 wins with a 2.22 GAA, .923 save percentage and nine shutouts in 73 games. That was enough to finish fourth in the Vezina voting, and Holtby took things to a whole new level in the postseason, ringing up a 1.71 GAA and .944 save percentage. Holtby’s talents have been unleashed by goalie coach Mitch Korn, who's helped the twinetender control his athleticism, improve his positioning and bring an effectiveness to his game that hadn’t previously been there. Holtby took to Korn’s unique training techniques like a duck to water, and it’s clear he’s just scratching the surface on his immense potential. This coming season will cement his spot among the league’s top five ‘tenders. And who knows, we might see his name among the top three in very short order.
While there is great debate about what the arrival of Barry Trotz means for many Caps players, Holtby is one player for whom the new regime will do wonders. For a supposed franchise goaltender, Holtby has been looking over his shoulder a great deal over the past couple of seasons. He looked to have been displaced by youngster Philipp Grubauer and trade deadline acquisition Jaroslav Halak at different points last season, but he’ll once again enter 2014-15 with a hold on the No. 1 job. With the arrival of Trotz and goalie guru Mitch Korn, the organization has firmly committed to Holtby. Trotz and Korn have worked wonders for goalies in the past, and although the Caps have a way to go to provide Holtby with the kind of structure Predators goalies could count on, the Saskatchewan native has all the tools to emerge as an elite fantasy goaltender. With a deeper defense in front of him and no one challenging his job from the bench, Holtby may be primed to have a breakout campaign.
Holtby comes into the 2013-2014 season as the Caps’ number-one choice in goal. His 23 wins were good for fourth in the league, and his 90 goals allowed put him 10th among NHL goalies. He struggled out of the gate, allowing three or more goals several times in the first month of the season, but he stepped up as the season progressed. He is not yet a top-tier goalie but is expected to get the majority of starts for Washington and would make a fine No. 2 for most fantasy teams. The Capitals defense was eighth in shots allowed when Holtby was in the net, which is concerning and may limit his win total this season.
Holtby was the new kid in town for the Caps last year and established himself as a formidable netminder in last Spring's playoffs. Filling in for injured Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth, Holtby played in 14 playoff games with a save percentage of .933. He was 7-7 in that time. Extrapolate Holtby’s playoff and regular season save percentages out, and he is in the top 5-6 net-minders in the league. It's unreasonable to conclude his playoff pace will sustain itself over a whole season, but Washington has a talented netminder here. With Vokoun gone, Holtby is the likely starter for the Caps. Holtby is unlikely to be flying off draft boards but managers in the know will tuck him away in the middle rounds.
Holtby will be the starter in AHL Hershey, due to the signing of veteran Tomas Vokoun. With the success he had when he got his chance last year, the organization was comfortable enough to trade away Semyon Varlamov. Holtby may be the most talented of what is now two young guys in net for Washington. He has taken AHL Hershey to the Calder Cup, and will fine-tune his skills again this year. In 14 career contests, he has an amazing 10-2-2 record, including two shutouts with a 1.79 goals against average and .934 save percentage. This kid may be special, so look for the team to make room for him on the roster no later than next season.
Holtby will be the starter in AHL Hershey as the two other young netminders get their shot. Depending on injury, Holtby may be back in the NHL this year, but possibly starting. He has the ability to become an NHL starter, but not sure if that will happen in Washington.
Holtby, a young netminder has played strong between the pipes for the WHL Saskatoon Blades. He was 40-16-4 last year and had an impressive 2.62 goals against average and .910 save percentage. With all the young goalie talent Washington has, Holtby should be back in the WHL this year. He still has a ways to go to make it to the big league, but the kid has the talent to do just that.
More Fantasy News
Doing off-ice workouts
GDallas Stars  Free Agent
Lower Body
April 7, 2022
Holtby (lower body) is doing off-ice workouts, but he has not resumed skating, Bruce LeVine of Dallas Stars Radio reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Lands on LTIR
GDallas Stars  Free Agent
Lower Body
March 21, 2022
Holbty (lower body) was placed on long-term injured reserve Monday, Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Remains day-to-day
GDallas Stars  Free Agent
Lower Body
March 17, 2022
Holtby (lower body) is still considered day-to-day ahead of Thursday's game versus Montreal, Mike Heika of the Stars' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Remains out Tuesday
GDallas Stars  Free Agent
Lower Body
March 15, 2022
Holtby (lower body) took part in morning skate but will not dress for Tuesday's game in Toronto, Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Dealing with lower-body issue
GDallas Stars  Free Agent
Lower Body
March 12, 2022
Holtby (lower body) won't be available for Saturday's game against the Rangers, Bruce LeVine of Dallas Stars Radio reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Status for 2022-23 uncertain
GDallas Stars  Free Agent
July 12, 2022
Holtby, who is recovering from a lower-body injury, may not be able to play in 2022-23, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Holtby is set for free agency, but it doesn't sound like he'll be involved in Wednesday's signing frenzy given his shaky injury status. LeBrun adds Holtby may be considering retirement -- if so, an announcement on that will likely surface at a later date. With the goalie market already thin, the 32-year-old likely would have had plenty of options for his next destination, but it's unclear if he's played his last NHL game.
See All NHL Rumors