Thompson has been one of the best Canadian goalies this season.
Logan Thompson has been one of the National Hockey League's best goaltenders in 2024-25, leading the Washington Capitals to the top of the Eastern Conference through 53 games.
But despite posting better numbers than any of the three Canadian goalies selected to the 4 Nations Face-Off later this month, the star netminder was puzzlingly omitted from the final roster.
And according to former NHL goaltender Steve Valiquette, Thompson was passed over because assistant coaches Bruce Cassidy and Pete DeBoer — who coached him while he was a member of the Vegas Golden Knights — didn't want him on the team.
“I don't think Cassidy and DeBoer were going to have it,” Valiquette said on Sportsnet's Real Kyper & Bourne show earlier this week. “They didn’t have a great experience with him in Vegas.”
The now-MSG Network studio analyst said that Thompson's relationship with the Golden Knights soured due to conflicts over playing time, although no details of any feud has previously been reported.
“There were times that they wanted him to play, and he wasn’t available,” Valiquette continued. “Yeah, I know a little bit about what happened there, and I can’t get into it, but that was never going to happen.”
Thompson revealed in early December that Canada's management team never contacted him, and that he doesn't expect to receive a call from them, even to replace an injured player.
Logan Thompson is the best Canadian goalie in the league
After a strong season with the Golden Knights in 2023-24, the 27-year-old opted out of a timeshare with Adin Hill and requested a trade. After being sent to the nation's capital over the summer, he's gone nuclear with his new team.
Thompson has emerged into a Vezina Trophy candidate, sporting an outrageous 24-2-4 record along with a .923 save percentage. Only Winnipeg Jets superstar Connor Hellebuyck (28.6) has saved more goals than expected this season than Thompson (27.8), per MoneyPuck.
No other goalie has crossed the 20-goal mark this year, and none of Canada's goaltenders — Hill, St. Louis Blues' Jordan Binnington and Montreal Canadiens' Samuel Montembeault — have even hit double digits.
Thompson has undoubtedly thrived with his new team in 2024-25, even signing a six-year contract extension to remain in the nation's capital for the foreseeable future. He's one of the main reasons why the Capitals are at the top of the Eastern Conference and back to Stanley Cup contention after barely squeaking into the 2024 postseason.
Regardless of the reason for the omission, Thompson has no business being left off Canada's roster — and it'll be interesting to see how the goaltending holds up when the 4 Nations kicks off next week. On paper, Canada probably has a weaker goaltending core than any of Sweden, Finland or the United States.
The Capitals play twice more before the break; they're in Philadelphia to face the Flyers on Thursday before heading home to welcome the Utah Hockey Club to Capital One Arena on Sunday afternoon.
