ARLINGTON, Va. -- Goalie Braden Holtby re-signed with the Washington Capitals on Friday, getting a five-year, $30.5 million contract.
"Since Day One I've wanted to be the guy in the Washington Capitals net, since I got drafted by them," said Holtby, the 93rd pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. "It doesn't change. I'm just happy to have the opportunity, and like in the past I know I still have to prove it."
Holtby, 25, is the first Capitals goalie signed to a contract of more than three years since Olaf Kolzig's five-year, $31 million extension in August 2001.
Washington will pay Holtby $3.5 million in salary plus a $3 million bonus this season. He'll be paid $7 million each of the next two seasons and $5 million each of the final two seasons.
Signing Holtby to a long-term contract is a big part of the greater goal for the organization, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said.
"You see what he accomplished last year and the effect he's had on our team," MacLellan said. "He's a perfect fit for what we think we have. He's a good teammate, a good person, and I think he's just touching the surface of what he could become. I think the certainty of having him in our lineup over the next -- whatever time we have, the window to win a championship -- is why we're excited about signing him today."