The Washington Capitals are finally content with their NHL tandem after years of frustration following Braden Holtby's departure, with the team satisfied with the joint play of Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson.
Lindgren and Thompson are both signed through at least the next three years after signing extensions this season. Though Thompson took over as the bona fide starter to close out the year, it's expected that both will again play a 1A/1B role for coach Spencer Carbery in the regular season.
Looking beyond their NHL-ready tandem, though, the depth chart has shifted a bit.
The net will look different for the AHL's Hershey Bears next season, as signs point to Hunter Shepard moving on. That makes Clay Stevenson the No. 1 with the Bears, and when it comes to who will back him up, it will be a bit of a competition.
Washington re-signed prospect Garin Bjorklund to a one-year extension, while 2023 seventh-round pick Antoine Keller inked a one-year deal with the Bears for next season. Mitchell Gibson is a restricted free agent and, given his growth, will likely get an extension and first crack at that full-time job with Hershey. That said, Bjorklund and Keller will likely make up the tandem with the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays.
Also in the system are goaltenders Chase Clark, a 2021 sixth-rounder, and Nicholas Kempf, who was taken in the fourth round of last year's draft. Clark is 23 and set to play his fifth year at Caniscius College, while Kempf, 19, will be a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame.
Beyond Thompson and Lindgren, Washington sits in a comfortable spot with its goaltending,,, but it may want to add some more depth there come draft time.
Capitals Captain Alex Ovechkin To Play In KHL vs. NHL All-Star Game This Summer
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will be back on the ice sooner rather than later, as he's set to play once again in an All-Star Game between top Russian hockey players in mid-July.
Utah Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev told MatchTV in a new interview that Ovechkin is among those set to play in the second annual "Match of the Year" in Russia between Russian KHL and NHL All-Stars.
Ovechkin played last year, scoring the game-opening goal and earning MVP honors in a game that ultimately ended up tied 8-8. The Capitals star also had an assist while skating on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk.
The 39-year-old is back overseas for the offseason, having flew back to Russia at the end of May. After visiting the Federation Council and presenting chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko with a Washington jersey, he travelled to Turkey for vacation, where he'll be for the next few weeks before returning home to begin training for the upcoming season with Pavel Burlachenko.
Ovechkin is going into his 21st NHL campaign and the final year of the five-year extension he signed back in 2021. He is coming off a historic season where he overcame a broken leg and scored 44 goals — the third most in the league — to overtake Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's new all-time leading goals scorer.
While there has been speculation surrounding Ovechkin's future after his contract expires next summer, he has not made any decision regarding where he will play in 2026-27.
The Russian ended the season three goals away from 900 in his NHL career and also struck five times in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before the Capitals were eliminated in the second round.
