Capitals believe Braden Holtby will enter free agency

Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said on Tuesday that the club expects goaltender Braden Holtby will enter free agency.

"The goalie market is probably a little unusually deep this year," MacLellan explained, per ESPN.

"I talked to his agent last week briefly about where he's at and the kind of opportunities he's looking for. I would assume he goes to free agency, and we'll keep in contact with him throughout the free-agency period to see if he's getting what he wants.''

If the 30-year-old departs Washington, the club will turn to 23-year-old Ilya Samsonov to start between the pipes.

Samsonov didn't travel to the NHL bubble site in Toronto after he suffered an off-ice injury before the league's restart. The Capitals believe the first-round pick from the 2015 NHL Entry Draft will be healthy and available when training camps for the 2020-21 campaign begin.

Holtby helped the Capitals defeat the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, during which he made one of the greatest saves in franchise history: