Caps’ Holtby makes controversial statement on who will replace Ovi as captain

This got people talking. 

When asked about his teammate Alex Ovechkin and the record-breaking streak he has been on, goalie Braden Holtby also wanted to talk about another one of his teammates, who does not get enough credit according to him.

Holtby believes gritty forward Tom Wilson should get more recognition in the league and even made quite a bold statement when talking about the 25-year-old winger, whom he believes should take over as Washington Capitals’ captain. 

“You could see the raw physicality and the skating,” goaltender Braden Holtby said to NHL.com’s Ben Raby . “But he was also one of those guys that once he got here, even when he was a rookie, you could tell that he was meant to be a captain in this league.

“He’s evolved as a player over the years,” Holtby added, “but those intangibles, he had them right from Day One.”

It looks like Wilson also has the support of head coach Todd Reirden.

“I just want to talk about him for a second. He does such a great job with the young players,” Reirden added. “It was really important for me to have him in the lineup tonight just with the next phase of his development as a leader. That was great to see what he does behind-the-scenes. We knew we lost some leaders over the summer. That was a challenge for him and I wanted to put him in a situation where he could do that. Obviously, he’s able to score the winner. He deserves it because he puts the work in.”

According to many teammates, Wilson is the guy that brings everyone together and is a veteran seeing that he started in the NHL at just 19, and quickly matured from a fourth-line enforcer to a first-line forward and Stanley Cup champion. 

During the preseason, Wilson served as the alternate captain for the first time in his career during the Caps’ first preseason game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

And it seems like Holtby could see more for him in the future… What do you think?