Braden Holtby almost got his due this time. The Washington Capitals goalie has worked hard to become one of the best in the NHL. A recent NHL Network list of the best goalies in the league reflects that. The only issue is that Holtby didn't top the list. Instead, he had to settle for second place behind a goalie that just signed a massive extension meant to reflect his place in the league right now.

Holtby finishes a worthy second

When the NHL Network revealed their list on Sunday night - in an effort to boost the league during its downtime over the summer - Holtby couldn't quite overcome Carey Price, the Montreal Canadiens goalie who signed a lucrative contract extension this offseason.

Second is nothing to cry over for Holtby, however, who has risen to extremely great heights considering the fact he's only been the primary starter for the Capitals for three years now.

After the 2015-16 season, Holtby won the Vezina Trophy, recognizing him as the NHL's best goalie. Some of his most important statistics actually improved since then, including his, save percentage and his average goals against allowed. He finished second in goals against and third in save percentage last season, both ahead of Price. The narrative claims that Price has a worse supporting cast around him, however, and the narrative appears to have won out in this situation.

Rest of NHL Network's list

After Price and Holtby, the next choice on the NHL Network's list was Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, which makes sense since he led the league in several major statistics and won his second Vezina Trophy last year.

The fourth spot belonged to Pittsburgh Penguin Matt Murray, finally seizing control of the starting role for the Stanley Cup champions. The top five was rounded out by Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk.

Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings took the sixth spot despite an injury-ravaged season. Cam Talbot finished seventh after stepping out of Hendrik Lundqvist's shadows and starring for the Edmonton Oilers; meanwhile, the New York Rangers goalie finished eighth.

San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones finished ninth, while Stanley Cup victim Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators rounded out the top ten. By the end of the season, there's at least a decent chance Talbot will surge back to the top of this list, proving his value to the NHL as one of its greatest goalies of a generation.
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