It wasn't an easy road between the pipes for the Washington Capitals following Braden Holtby's departure. But now, D.C. is in a spot where it finally feels comfortable with its goaltending.
The team's tandem is now stable, with Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren manning the net as a 1A/1B tandem, though Thompson's been the bona fide starter. Thompson signed a six-year extension in January, while Lindgren followed suit with a three-year deal a couple months later.
"We like where we're sitting with both those guys. They can carry the load and a certain point through the season," president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan said.
Thompson had an impressive first season with Washington, going 31-6-6 with a .910 save percentage in 43 outings and posting a .917 save percentage in the playoffs. Lindgren's numbers weren't what he'd hoped, as he posted a .896 save percentage through 39 appearances, though he still managed 20 wins while being a key locker room presence. And time and time again, the Capitals stood behind both their goalies, confident in their ability to win with either.
The Thompson/Lindgren tandem finally puts an end to question marks in net that plagued the team for years after the Holtby era ended.
Ilya Samsonov was hopeful to be the next starter, though he could never find consistency in net, and Henrik Lundqvist, who was brought in at the end of his career to mentor Samsonov and be a 1B option, never got to play with the Capitals amid a heart condition that forced him to retire. Vitek Vanecek came up the ranks and had flashes of greatness, but ultimately, wasn't the answer, either.
Finally, in 2022, after seeing neither Samsonov nor Vanecek able to take over the crease, MacLellan revamped the tandem, bringing in Lindgren as a backup and signing Darcy Kuemper to a big deal to be the starter. However, Kuemper wouldn't pan out for D.C. either and was shipped out for Pierre-Luc Dubois.
"We've been frustrated with the goalie thing for a long time," MacLellan said simply. "Goalies get hot, goalies get cold."
That paved the way for Thompson's arrival last summer, and now, entering a new season with fresh contracts for both, the organization is looking forward to see what both bring to the table.
"Very happy with what Logan did and what Charlie did (this year)," MacLellan said. "I think we got two really good guys, two good team guys that can share the load. Both can take over at any moment."
