Report: Washington Capitals taking a major risk with Holtby.

As many of you know Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby filed for arbitration and it appears the Capitals are prepared to call his bluff. With the two sides roughly $3 million dollars apart the Capitals have elected to opt for a one year arbitration contract, Holtby filed for arbitration therefore the Capitals have the option on length. What this means is the Capitals will find themselves in the exact same position next year, and if Holtby has another season like he did this year, his asking price will go up. Washington could find themselves left with two options, to either pay Holtby a massive amount of money on a long term deal, or look to the arbitrator again, this time Holtby would likely be the one determining length of contract. You can see the picture taking shape, if Holtby plays his butt off, and then opts for a one year deal himself, he would become unrestricted in his prime, with absolutely no reason to stay on a team that frankly appears to be discounting exactly what he means to their franchise. It's a big risk for the Capitals.

The Caps have elected a one-year deal for Holtby in arbitration, per a source. Would return him to restricted free agency next summer.

— Alex Prewitt (@alex_prewitt) July 21, 2015

Image courtesy Key Stone Press.