SHADES OF RED: Who's Trade Bait? Neuvirth or Holtby?

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By Zach Hart Shades of Red D.C
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At the mid-point of the season, the Caps have an odd issue on their hands. They have three promising goalies in Grubauer, Neuvirth and Holtby, who are all making a case to be starters. They can't continue to keep all three as it causes problems with ice-time, attitudes and...well there's only two nets on the ice for practice, if you catch my drift. 
Grubauer was recalled from the AHL Hershey Bears on Nov 30th to serve as Holtby's backup after Neuvirth was injured. When Holtby began to struggle, Grubauer was given a chance to show his stuff and has taken full advantage of the opportunity. He has been a stud between the pipes for the Caps and has instilled confidence into this team. The defense seems to be playing better in front of a goalie, who they can count on to bail them out consistently. Grubauer is the hottest goalie of the three right now, and he will most likely continue to get the bulk of the ice-time while he's hot. Since being recalled from the Hershey Bears, Grubauer has a 6-2-3 record with an impressive 2.27-GAA and .931 %save.
Holtby is in the midst of a very inconsistent stretch. He's giving up should-be saves and letting games get out of control quick. When that happens, the defense loses confidence and momentum and it clearly shows on the ice. Many will say the defense's poor play is the reason for Holtby's inconsistencies, but the fact is, Holtby is their last line of defense. At the NHL level, goalies have to be good enough to make a few outstanding saves per game. Good goalies can single handedly steal games away from good teams. Remember the last game against Buffalo? Ryan Miller stole the win from the Caps after pushing aside 49 shots. Holtby has obviously been good in the playoffs for the Caps in the past, but Neuvirth has been good in the playoffs as well. This season Holtby has a 13-11-2 record and a bit of a disappointing 3.08-GAA and .916 Save%. Holtby has to be better.
After missing time to injury and then spending time as a healthy scratch, Neuvirth made his first start since Nov 22nd on Friday against Toronto. He put up an incredibly solid performance for a guy who hasn't played an NHL game in 48 days. He pushed aside 34 shots in the 3-2 win and finished the game with a .941 save%. Neuvirth has been pretty consistent in his NHL career and has played better this season then what his 3-3-1 record would suggest. He's sporting a 2.72-GAA and .916 Save%. He obviously has what it takes to be a starter in this league (as do the other two.) After being a healthy scratch so long his agent recently requested for the Capitals to trade him. Neuvirth himself said he wanted out of Washington.
It has been widely speculated that Neuvirth would be the one traded because he's the one who asked out. But what Neuvirth really wants is ice-time and he deserves more. Is Neuvirth really the one the Caps should trade? Over their NHL careers, Neuvirth seems to be the more consistent of the two. If Neuvirth were traded and Grubauer suddenly cooled off, would you be confident Holtby could come in and lead the team to their goal right now? It's an extremely tough decision, and it's disappointing that one of these talented players will have to go, but it's a decision that will have to be made. The only other option would be to send Grubauer back to Hershey. But the way Grubauer is playing right now and the confidence he instills into his teammates makes that option the first to be scratched.
I'm not at all trying to criticize Holtby, I'm just trying to look at the facts. It's a shame that this horrible drought has hit Holtby at such a critical time. But the bottom line is, I want this team to get what they've never gotten. A Stanley cup! I would love to hear everyone's take on the goalie situation in Washington. Please feel free to drop a comment.
.Zach Hart, Brian Smith and William Facciolo are Shades of Red D.C., a group of local fans who have fun analyzing their favorite pro sports teams in the DC area. Catch them on Facebook and on their blog.
2014, capitals, caps, featured, hockey, holtby, neuvirth