There has been quite a bit of interesting hockey news around the NHL this last week. There were the offer sheets that restricted free agent forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg signed with the St. Louis Blues. Either the Edmonton Oilers are going to match those offer sheets or let them go to the Blues. Then, there is the report that came out earlier today from ESPN’s Kevin Weekes. Weekes posted on Twitter/X that Nashville Predators goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov has requested a trade and that he will not be reporting to the AHL for the Milwaukee Admirals. There is going to be speculation about where Predators GM Barry Trotz may send Askarov. With that being said, the Washington Capitals will not be the team acquiring him. There are a few reasons why they are not the organization he is going to, as things stand right now.
The Capitals Traded for Logan Thompson
Former Capitals GM Brian MacLellan already addressed the goalie position. In fact, he did multiple times. Heading into this offseason, the Capitals had both Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren under contract. Washington decided to move on from Kuemper, and he was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. To address the new available netminder slot, MacLellan made a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on Day Two of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. He acquired goalie Logan Thompson in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick.
The goalie tandem as of right now is Lindgren-Thompson. Who the starting goalie is will be determined by Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery and the rest of his staff during training camp and the preseason. It could go 1A/1B between Lindgren and Thompson, or one is the starter and the other is the backup. Logan Thompson was the new addition to the position though for 2024-25. I do not see current GM Chris Patrick adding another goalie like Askarov into the mix with Thompson already brought in.
Lindgren Deserves His Shot
Charlie Lindgren earned his opportunity to fight for the starting goalie spot for the Capitals in 2024-25. He came on board with Washington as a free agent on July 13, 2022. Lindgren battled his way through things not working out with both the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues. He was the backup netminder for the Capitals during the 2022-23 campaign. Then, he took over the crease for Washington last season. In 50 games played, he posted a record of 25-16-7. Lindgren had a save percentage (SV%) of .911 and a goals against average (GAA) of 2.67. He also put together a total of six shutouts.
In addition, Lindgren was the goalie Washington turned to for the 2024 playoffs. He finished that series against the New York Rangers with a GAA of 3.58 and a .864 SV%.
I think the 30-year-old goalie deserves to play the entire 2024-25 season with the Capitals. He and Logan Thompson can battle for the job and both will be crucial for the franchise throughout the season. As highly-touted of a prospect as Yaroslav Askarov is, it just does not make the most sense at this point. The Capitals are set at goalie for now. The 2024-25 campaign is on the horizon. Training camp and preseason are on the way. If Askarov stays with the Predators in 2024-25, maybe Chris Patrick can discuss the potential trade idea if he and Carbery do not like what they see from the Lindgren-Thompson pairing. For now though, I do not see room for Askarov with the Capitals.
