The Washington Capitals reunited with a familiar face over the offseason to help bolster their last line of defense. Former Capitals Development Camp attendee and netminder for the South Carolina Stingrays, Logan Thompson, was dealt to the Capitals by the Vegas Golden Knights at the 2024 NHL Draft for two draft picks.
Thompson is expected to form a strong goaltending duo with fellow right-catching backstop Charlie Lindgren. The 27-year-old Calgary native has posted solid numbers over parts of the last four seasons with the Golden Knights in a system reportedly designed to make goaltenders’ jobs easier. Thompson was asked Friday what he perceives to be different about how Washington plays and if he thinks he can adapt.
“Yeah, I guess Vegas takes all the credit for goaltending over there, right?” Thompson joked. “I’m curious to see how different it will be and if I can even play in the league.”
Despite Thompson’s quip, the statistics behind some of Vegas’s past play do show some credence to the thought that they insulate their net well. The narrative arose most prominently during the 2022-23 season, which featured Thompson’s lone All-Star appearance and an eventual Stanley Cup victory.
That season, at five-on-five, the Golden Knights allowed the ninth most shot attempts per 60 minutes (59.11) but just the 28th most high-danger chances per 60 minutes (10.49). Per NaturalStatTrick, Thompson also faced the eighth-furthest average shot distance among starting goaltenders (1,500 minutes) at five-on-five.
He finished the campaign, his first entirely spent in the NHL, with a 21-13-3 record, a 2.65 goals-against average, and a .915 save percentage. Despite backstopping Vegas to the playoffs, Thompson didn’t get a postseason start in the team’s successful run to the Cup due to a lower-body injury.
Thompson has played well enough to earn individual praise, though. In all four seasons that he has seen NHL action, he has remained positive in MoneyPuck’s goals saved above expected, including a career-best 4.6 last year. For comparison’s sake, Lindgren stopped 10.5 more goals than expected for the Capitals last season, while Darcy Kuemper allowed 4.8 more than expected.
He finished the year having appeared in 46 games for Vegas, posting a 25-14-5 record with a 2.70 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage, and one shutout.
Thompson did so despite Vegas taking a slight step back defensively. The 2023-24 Golden Knights allowed the eighth-most five-on-five shot attempts per 60 minutes (62.4) and, instead of sitting in the league’s top five at preventing high-danger chances, dropped out of the top 10 to 12th (10.61).
By comparison, Washington’s defense was far worse. The Capitals struggled mightily for long stretches last year, evidenced by their minus-37 goal differential at season’s end. They allowed the 10th-most five-on-five high-danger chances per 60 minutes (11.32) but have also replaced a third of their top-six defensemen from last year ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
Thompson will hope to keep his positive momentum from when he wrapped things up with Vegas and quickly gel with the Capitals’ strengthened defense corps. For now, though, he’s focused on finding his footing with his new team.
“I think I’m just trying to get comfortable,” Thompson said. “I think that’s the biggest thing is just getting comfortable, finding that confidence that you had in playoffs or you had at the end of last season. And that comes with time. It’s a great group here; everyone’s really close. They’ve made it really easy for me. I’m just getting closer to the guys. I think it’s going to make it easier when it comes to playing games.”
