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The Washington Capitals and goaltender Braden Holtby are reportedly nearly $3 million apart in contract negotiations.
The Capitals are offering the netminder $5.1 million and he's asking for $8 million, CBC Sports' Tim Wharnsby reports.
The team has elected to pursue a one-year deal in arbitration, according to Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post. That would make Holtby a restricted free agent again in the summer of 2016.
Holtby has a hearing scheduled for Thursday if the two sides can't come to an agreement beforehand.
The 25-year-old went 41-20-10 with a 2.22 GAA, a .923 save percentage, and nine shutouts in 73 regular-season games for the Capitals last season.
His peripherals were even better in the playoffs, when he posted a 1.71 GAA and .944 save percentage despite a 6-7 record and a second-round exit at the hands of the New York Rangers.
Holtby was reportedly seeking $6 million per season earlier this month, and at the time, the two sides were thought to be separated by about $1 million.
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has the highest cap hit among players at the position in 2015-16 at $8.5 million.
