Cherry

The Washington Capitals made a lot of big moves over the offseason to improve their team. The one spot they didn’t fiddle with was in goal, where the team will head into next season with Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren between the pipes.

While Thompson posted Vezina Trophy-worthy numbers in 2025-26, Lindgren scuffled, having his worst season to date while making 20 or more appearances in net. Lindgren posted a 9-8-3 record, 3.52 goals-against average, and .879 save percentage. He also gave up -5.3 goals above expected, placing him 76th of 98 goaltenders last season, per MoneyPuck.

Lindgren’s performance, combined with his contract — he has two seasons remaining on his three-year deal worth $3 million annually — had him in trade rumors during the offseason, but ultimately Caps brass opted not to move him.

“The other thing that I thought was interesting, I was pretty sure this summer they were going to deal Charlie Lindgren and they didn’t,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast on Monday. “They kept him because they think he’s so important for Logan Thompson. I just didn’t know if the Capitals felt a backup making $3 million was something they could handle. And they just felt it was too important for Thompson to make the deal.”

The Capitals were ultimately able to juggle Lindgren’s contract under the salary cap with the aggressive acquisitions they made, adding top-six forwards Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou, former Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner, and physical defenseman Vincent Desharnais. The Capitals sent out young players Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre in trades and also saw unrestricted free agents Brandon Duhaime and Trevor van Riemsdyk sign elsewhere.

“I think it starts off the ice,” Lindgren said of his relationship with Thompson in March 2025. “We get along really well. We have a lot of respect and admiration for each other. Certainly what Logan’s done in his time here has been pretty unbelievable. He’s had quite the year and so he’s driven me to push harder. It’s the classic ‘iron sharpens iron’ and he’s constantly pushing me to get better because obviously with his his play this year, I knew that if I wasn’t playing well, I probably wouldn’t get many opportunities with the way he’s playing. It’s kept me focused, it’s kept me driven, and hopefully I’ve done the same to him. It’s been a great partnership.”

Thompson and Lindgren, both rare right-handed catching goalies, each had long roads to the NHL. Even when they split starts in 2024-25 and were pending free agents, they supported each other.

“Our relationship’s been, from the get-go, it’s been unbelievable. At the end of the day, I want the team to win,”

Lindgren added in an interview with Monumental Sports Network last season. “Success for LT means success for our team. And it’s fun to be competitive, but it’s a great way to better each other. And so, it’s been amazing.”

The Capitals seemed sensitive to their budding relationship even then, opting to re-sign both longterm — Thompson for six seasons and Lindgren for three — and handling their contracts in a way so that it did not upset the locker room.

“After Logan signed, [Chris Patrick] actually allowed me the opportunity to go and just meet with him,” Lindgren said in March 2025. “And he still told me where I fit into the picture and how bad he wanted me to be a part of this organization.

“I can’t tell you the amount of respect I have for that meeting and him allowing me to just have a conversation with him, just to see where I fit in — and it still makes sense, this whole dynamic as partnership. It’s going to be great for Logan and I, it’s going to be great for organization, it’s going to be great for the team, and so we’re just going to continue to build this thing.”

How beloved Lindgren is inside the Capitals’ locker room is best illustrated both by how the team rallied in the second half of the 2023-24 season to make the playoffs after he took over the starting role from Darcy Kuemper. Lindgren also had a heroic performance against the Detroit Red Wings this past January where he injured himself in overtime but stayed in the net for the shootout, leading the Capitals to a 4-3 victory.

Lindgren was carried off the ice by his teammates and celebrated in the locker room.

“We deal with some late game adversity. We stay with it,” Spencer Carbery said. “Hey, and Chucky f***ing playing on one f***ing leg. Might have zero legs.”

Lindgren holding onto the backup spot will also ultimately force the Capitals into another difficult situation this fall during training camp. Clay Stevenson, 27, will have to be placed on waivers again to be sent to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

Stevenson, who has an $850k cap hit, played well in the four games he suited up for the Capitals this past season, going 3-1-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. The Hershey Bears stalwart is signed through next season, but there were rumors even last year that other teams were interested in claiming him.