No Ovechkin extension talks for now … Capitals not ruling out bringing Holtby back … Caps interested in re-signing Dillon
Scott Burnside of The Athletic: A source that is close to Washington suggested that Peter Laviolette type of coach would be a good fit for the Capitals.
Braden Holtby‘s days in Washington are likely over. His numbers have been in decline since 2016. He would be an upgrade in Calgary, Edmonton and Buffalo.
Tom Gulitti of NHL.com: Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has a year left on his deal and is eligible for a contract extension. Ovechkin doesn’t want to talk extension until training camp. GM Brian MacLellan said that he talked to Ovechkin briefly about it and the sides have agreed to hold off on talks for now.
“We’re going to talk when we come back to training camp, continue our conversations,” MacLellan said.
Goaltender Braden Holtby will be a free agent and GM MacLellan said they could be interested in bringing him back for at least one more season. The Capitals won’t have much cap space and with Ilya Samsonov ready to be the No. 1, it seems unlikely that Holtby would be back, but it’s not being ruled out.
“It’s still to be decided,” MacLellan said of the goalie who won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018. “I think it’s going to be difficult, but sometimes opportunities come up that you don’t expect, and I think we’d like to play it out and see what happens.”
Holtby on if he’s played his final game in a Capitals jersey.
“Certainly a chance it is,” Holtby said. “Who knows? Live one day at a time and go from there.”
Defenseman Brenden Dillon is another pending UFA for the Capitals and they are interested in re-signing him.
“We’ll talk to his representatives as we get into free agency as we explore our opportunities, as will he, and then we’ll make a decision based on that,” MacLellan said.
