Why Logan Thompson is the Washington Capitals’ Future in Net (and Why Darcy Kuemper Thrived in LA)

Why Logan Thompson is the Washington Capitals’ Future in Net (and Why Darcy Kuemper Thrived in LA)

On today’s show, a look back on Darcy Kemper’s time with the Capitals. Was he as bad as everyone remembers? And how much better is Logan Thompson? I’ll discuss next on this edition of Locked on Capitals. [Music] You’re Locked on Capitals, your daily podcast on the Washington Capitals, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Well, hello and welcome into this edition of Locked On Capitals, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. My name is Dan Holy. I’ve covered the Capitals for the past three seasons for Locked On and various other outlets. Before that, I’m also the host of the weekly show called The Capitals Minute Cast, available wherever you find your podcasts. And as always, I want to thank you for making this your first listen of the day. So, in this edition of Locked on Capitals, we take a look back on Darcy Kemper’s time with the Capitals and just remembering how excited Capitals fans were uh when we found out that Keer was coming to the Capitals. How did he lose favor with this team? I’ll talk about that a bit later. I’ll talk about Thompson or Keer. Ultimately, who is the better net minder? I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves, but just to get it going here, we’ll talk about Logan Thompson as he takes control of the net in Washington. And when he came here, I don’t think that there was the feeling that he was the clear number one. I think the feeling there was that Charlie Lingren was going to battle him for that number one job. Well, how did it end up? more of a 1A 1B situation where they kind of split the workload for a line share of the season. In the latter part of the season, you saw Logan Thompson come on a bit stronger as they went with more of the hot hand. Um but all things considered he took control large swaths swaps of the season he was considered in talks for uh being in the VZNA voting right to be in one of the elite company of net minders in the NHL winning a Vzna and um how he kind of had the cold shoulder in his direction. I’m talking about uh the four nations face off and representing Canada uh in the Olympics. Those kind of things that um despite what he has accomplished uh I think that he has a chip squarely on his shoulder just based on the fact that it appears that he never gets any love. If we take a look back, of course, on his time uh with the Golden Knights um in his comments that he made in in his exit from Vegas is he said, “I don’t feel like I got the uh credit that I deserve because if you asked Vegas, if you ask the coaches, they said, well, it wasn’t really the net finding so much. Uh it was the defense that played uh around them is what elevated uh the Golden Knights play.” But I think he was hungry to come to this team and prove no, no, it had a lot to do with the net minding. And what did we notice? Uh that when Logan Thompson was out there, the Capitals played more confidently than let’s say Darcy Kemper. I think that there’s also some confidence uh when Charlie Lingren is in that as well. But let’s dive into that in the first segment talking all things Logan Thompson. And um you know, like I said, when the Capitals first brought him here, I think that many Capitals fans thought, okay, it’s a pretty good depth move, but we kind of like Charlie. Uh we were we know what we have in the tank with Chucky sideburns. Um but then the season started and Logan Thompson took over and they kind of kept with the narrative all season that there’s not a real number one. Think of it as a 1A 1B until the contract got rolled out and you saw the big extension that Logan Thompson got. And then there wasn’t a deal for Charlie Lingren for a while and then he signed a three-year deal. And then it became apparent, yes, that the Capitals kind of tipped their hand on who they thought the number one uh was in net. Now, this wasn’t just a goalie filling minutes, Logan Thompson. This was a goalie announcing himself as a legitimate number one. And like I said, in large, you know, stretches of the season, he was one of the best net minders in the entire National Hockey League, he played uh 31 games for the Capitals, posted 31 wins, and carried a 910 save percentage with a 2.49 goals against and um all things considered, put together a really solid season. Um that’s not just good, that is top tier uh in the NHL. And what really solidified him as, you know, the the true number one with the Capitals. And the best part, when the games got bigger, Logan Thompson got better. And that’s the key part there, right? That you answer the bell on the bigger stage. Uh, in the playoffs, he led all goalies entering the second round with a 931 save percentage and a 2.01 goals against. And those are the numbers you normally see in VZNA winners. An interesting story. I’ll talk about in the final segment is how all the voting shook out. But um and to kind of just exemplify that, excuse me, when he was playing well on the bigger stage, uh game two against Carolina was a perfect example. The Caps needed a win and Logan delivered with 27 saves, including 16 in the third period alone. That’s locking the door when it matters. And you if you want to understand the importance of Logan Thompson, I think you need to recollect back to when it was game one against the Canadians that there was some concern about who was going to be a net. I mean, you we knew that Logan Thompson missed a substantial amount of time that it seemed like Charlie Lingren was going to at least start the playoffs, but then Logan Thompson got dropped into the cockpit and did a good job. And uh you know just taking a look at different stretches of the season and think about that stretch during the season uh 22 wins just two losses and three overtime points uh in a 27game stretch. And what what were the numbers that back that up? A 2.09 goals against in a 925 save percentage. That’s not okay. That’s not great. That is dominance uh between the pipes. And uh like I said, if you want proof, you know, sometimes things are lip service. You see that in uh the NFL when they talk about a starting starting quarterback or in this case uh in net that we’re not naming a number one. Uh but when the Capitals locked him up to a sixyear deal with a reasonable cap hit, he’s only 27 years old, entering his prime, that was a sign that the Capitals were all in on LT for the long term. And here’s the thing about Logan Thompson. He’s not just putting up numbers because the team’s system protects him. Uh he’s actually excelling in high danger situations. And uh according to NHL edge, he had the highest high danger save percentage in the entire playoffs at 892. That means when breakdowns happen and Washington gave up great A chances, well, Logan bailed the caps out. And it wasn’t just a one-off. He did that all season. And I think that’s what separates a good goalie from a great one or you could say a dominant goalie. So when you take a look at Thompson, you’re not talking about the present. You’re not talking about the next five to six years. You’re talking about big picture, big big picture. So yeah, I guess it would be five or six years. Um and you know the thing of it is the capital’s pipeline is full. But you know that there is stability in net for the foreseeable future. Will the Logan Thompson contract age like a fine wine or will it age like a carton of milk? Listen, he was going to get the contract that he wanted, whether it was with the Capitals or another team around the NHL. The numbers backed it up. There are teams in the NHL that struggled in that they would have loved nothing more than to scoop up Logan Thompson when the time was right. The Capitals did the right thing. Chris Patrick did the right thing and he didn’t let it come to that where he would have reached the open market and uh demanded the king’s ransom. All right, so coming up here after the break, we’ll talk about Keer’s bounceback season in the city of angels. If he was so bad with the Capitals, why did it work with the Kings? I’ll discuss next. The NFL season is here and FanDuel is making sure you’re ready for kickoff with a can’tmiss offer. 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You can find the show on Twitter, it’s locked on caps. So, in the second segment here, we’re taking a peak back on Darcy Kemper’s time with the Capitals and um how it started out so promising uh that there was questions in net um think Post Holy when it was Sam Sonoff and Vanichek and that just never worked. They tried to retread that tire with Sammy and Vanichek. It just didn’t work. So, what happened? Neither Netmind was given a qualifying offer by former GM Brian Mlen. sign that the Capitals were ready to move on. So, they swung for the fences and connected with a former Stanley Cup winner in Darcy Keer and they also brought in Charlie Lingren. And uh when you take a look at Darcy’s time with the Capitals, he came in with a lot of hope and optimism and he kind of left the Capitals uh in a whimper, I guess you could say, or with a whimper. Let’s dive into that in segment number two here. Cuz when the Caps signed him in 2022, the narrative was simple. Stanley Cup champion, veteran presence, perfect fit to backs stop a team with Ovetchkin and Backstrom at the time still chasing down another cup. Um, and there was that feeling that that unit, that team, the Backstrom, Oshi, uh, Wilson Ovuchkin, those players back then in that rock the red era that they could get another win, another Stanley Cup win, uh, if they had the right net minder. So, they did the right thing. On paper, it seemed like a slam dunk uh to bring in Darcy Camper. And year one, the numbers looked fine. A 909 save percentage, 2.87 287 goals against not elite but respectable. Uh but the team around him injuries and poor defensive structure and a group that was clearly starting to transition out of its contending window and I think that the change uh that took place with the Capitals uh you know a lot of people didn’t see it coming. I think it kind of came up on them in a hurry. Uh when you saw lo or excuse me, Nicholas Backstrom and that hip reservicing procedure that that did not respond the way that he had hoped and spent his last year under contract on the long-term injured reserve. Uh same thing went for TJ Oshi. Two pillars on the Capitals during the heyday of the the rock the red era and then you saw Afghani Kusnet’s time with the Capitals come to an end. But if we want to be accurate and remember things correctly, Keer was left out to dry night after night. And while he gave them steady play, the Capitals missed the playoffs. And I think the writing was on the wall for Darcy Keer that they wanted changes. They thought that Darcy Keer was going to be the answer in net. And what happened? Year two was worse. He lost his starting job to Charlie Lingren. uh by the trade deadline, he was basically an expensive backup and that’s when the Capitals made the bold move. Um again, it was uh PLLD was a mismatch out in LA. Uh Darcy Keer was a mismatch with the Capitals. They traded partners to uh extensive contracts and both had bounceback seasons. So, the Capitals did that. They shipped him out to LA in a deal that brought back pure Luke Dubois. Now, here’s the twist. Keer bounced back in a huge way with the Kings. Uh 50 games, 31 wins, and a 2.02 goals against a 922 save percentage and five shutouts. That’s not just a nice rebound season. That is a Vzna finalist season. And in the final segment, I’ll break down how all the Vzna voting went. But to say that Darcy Kemper was a poor goalie is misguided. He didn’t work with the Capitals. He knocked it out of the park with the Avalanche. He knocked it out of the park uh with the LA Kings. It was just not a perfect match. The defense was subpar. The Capitals were learning Spencer Carberry systems. And by the time he kind of figured it out, Charlie Lingren had already seized the net. And uh if we want to talk about other things that worked against him at 34 years old, he reminded everyone um you know of his age. but also this last year uh made us quite aware that at 34 years old that he can still get big things done in the National Hockey League as he had a respectable bounceback season with the Kings. And here’s the thing here, it wasn’t all smoke and mirrors. Camper was one of the best in the league at handling high danger shots. His high danger save percentage ranked among the league leaders and the Kings leaned on him heavily in the second half of the season. I think that, you know, when Darcy went out to the Kings, there was a feeling of good riddens by Capitals fans. I banged the drum for Darcy Keer here and people are like, “Yeah, we don’t want to hear your talk about camper. We got Chucky here. Um, and everything’s okay.” So, in a in a way, it’s fair to ask the Capitals, did they give up give up on him too early? Uh, because while Keer’s time in DC didn’t pan out, his numbers in LA well proved he still has plenty left in the tank. Uh, but here’s the catch. He’s 34 and while one great season is impressive, how many more of those does he have to la have left? Those are the big questions. And uh, you know, I think for a lot of Capitals fans that are thinking to himself, why is Dan bringing this up? Logan Thompson is here and Charlie Lingren’s here. It’s just important to remember things correctly. uh that uh I think the feeling was and I think a lot of people kind of forgot about Darcy Kemper uh that when he left Washington people were like yeah he went somewhere and who knows what happened. Well turns out he had a respectable bounceback season that he wasn’t the poor net minder uh that many people thought he was a bit prone to being a bit by the injury bug but some of that was beyond his control. All things considered, a great bounceback season. But the question remains, are the Capitals better off with Logan Thompson, or should they have given Darcy Keer a longer look? I’ll break it all down straight ahead. Most people can’t name all of their financial accounts or even what they’re worth. That’s with 401ks, properties, or investments. And when you don’t have the full picture, you can end up leaving money on the table. That’s why there is Monarch Money. It’s an all-in-one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean, easy to use interface on your laptop or on your phone. Monarch is built for people with busy life. If busy lives, if if you’ve been putting off organizing your finances, Monarch is for you. Monarch does the heavy lifting for you. You can link all of your accounts in minutes, see clear data visuals, get smart categorization of your spending, and finally feel in control of your money without ever touching a spreadsheet. 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Uh the question right out of the gate is should the Capitals have stuck with Darcy Kemper or was Logan Thompson the right answer? Uh for me, spoiler alert, no spoiler alert, it’s Logan Thompson all the way. Um you know, yes, Camper did have a great year uh with the Kings. Yes, he was a Vzna finalist, but context matters. He’s 34 years old. He’s on the back nine of his career. The flip of that being that we’re talking about the prestigious Vzna voting is that Darcy Kemper finished three, Logan Thompson four. Let that sink in a little bit there that we want to kind of poo poo and say negative things about Keer. Uh but if if you are putting any weight in Vzna voting, uh that is something to think about. But as far as Logan is concerned, the upside is there’s quite a bit more upside for Logan than there is over Darcy. Uh he’s just entering his prime. He’s 27. He’s locked in for six more years and he’s already proven he can put up elite numbers. Um and the big thing for me is is he able to duplicate um that success or yearover-year success? Can he continue to grow or at least maintain? And more importantly, he fits in within the new timeline for the Capitals as there is going to be a changing of the guard as you know in seasons to come. If in fact this is Alex Ovetkin’s last season that you are going to see other changes and having a rockolid net minder in Logan Thompson is a good position. The Capitals, they still are retooling. They’re making their way slowly into getting younger. They’re building around a new core uh that includes players like Pier Luke Dubois, um Conor Mcichael, these kind of guys and uh they don’t need an older stop gap in nets. They need a goalie who can grow with this next group of Capitals. And I think that fits the mold. And you know, one of the the tragedies I guess for me is that, you know, we never got a chance to see Henrik Lungquist, right? That he was supposed to be a capital. I even bought one of his jerseys. Can you believe that? want to talk about blunders. I was so hyped uh that the Capitals um had Henrik Lungquist before he had that uh um difficulties with his heart. I don’t remember the exact um diagnosis there, but he was having heart issues that he never played for the Capitals, right? And um some people would say, well then you were get taking Henrik Lungquist kind of on the back nine of his career. Still, even on the back nine, Henrik Lungquist was a knockout net minder. What I’m trying to say is the Capitals didn’t reach for the easy button. They didn’t reach for a guy that um you know was older and established. they went with a younger guy with a better upside that was going to help this team for well at least if you’re believing in his contract there six years that there’s not going to be questions that you’re going to have to answer um if you sign a guy on the back n because when you sign those older players there is stability in a year to twoyear windows but then you’re constantly trying to bring in the next grizzled old vet so that’s the thing and with Logan Thompson the numbers back it up as far as him being dominant over uh Darcy Camper. High dangerous save percentage, mid-range saves, consistency during the regular season, and the ability to raise his game in the playoffs. That’s what you want. Being able to elevate your game when the pressure is that much higher and also elevating your game in hostile territory. That is uh what Logan Thompson was able to do. Ultimately, not enough, right? And I it’s not the onus squarely on him. The Capitals as a unit struggled in the second round against Carolina, but they made it to the playoffs period because of Logan Thompson. Is there a chance they could have made the playoffs if it was Chucky? Sure, maybe. Uh, but you did see a step back from Charlie Lingren this last year. Uh, what we know for certain is he put the Capitals in an excellent uh position. Plus, you know, you talk about the trade, the Capitals were able to offload uh an expensive contract in the form of Darcy Kemper and able to acquire another lengthy contract in the form of Pier Luke Dubwa. But in any event, Pier Luke Dubois in his year with the Capitals, good Darcy Kemper over there. So, let’s not see too far over the horizon. What we know right here, right now, is both players had a bounceback. Uh I’m talking Keer and Pure Luke Dubois. So while Keer’s bounce back in LA was great to see the Caps are absolutely better positioned with Logan Thompson and Net. So big picture this move could go down as one of the smartest in recent Capitals history. Um I think that’s the case you know because um and you know part of it you know some people like to point to luck you know the Capitals got lucky uh that Logan Thompson hadn’t put up those kind of numbers before. not quite that good, but he had put up respectable numbers before. And I think that with Logan Thompson, he just thrived uh in the environment that is the Capitals current system, Spencer Carberry system, where he is a straight shooter. Uh he’s willing to uh give tough love if needed. He’s also not afraid of telling you, you know, what needs to get work and he’s not afraid of making changes. But I think the biggest thing while he worked in well here is the Capitals welcomed Logan Thompson with open arms. Uh I think that he saw a clear path to being the number one in net uh despite the whole 1A 1B talk that we always hear. I think it was clear to see just based on his contract and uh by the end of the year that he was clearly the number one for the Capitals. And the good thing, like I’ve said in this episode, is that he is going to be for years and years to come. So, Capitals fans, there is a lot to be happy about that uh they did they went out, they got the net minder, even though um you know, it was it took a while to get here, right? I I think that there was a vacuum uh when Braden Holy uh left the team and they tried to plug it with guys that they thought were going to do it. And, you know, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. They tried Sammy. They tried Vanichek four seasons, didn’t work out. They tried Keer for a couple seasons there. That didn’t work out. And finally, they went out and did the thing and they got Logan Thompson. Something that, like I say, I don’t think uh many people thought was going to work out as well as it did did just that. So, here here to former GM uh Brian Mlen for knocking it out of the park. All right. Once again, I want to thank you for joining me on this edition of Locked on Capitals, your only daily year- round podcast covering the Capitals. And I want to thank all of you that listen on the audio side and watch this on YouTube. You are what makes this show successful. When you’re done here, head on over to Locked on NHL as they have you covered five days a week, available wherever you find your podcasts and on YouTube. All right, once again, I want to thank you for joining me on this edition of Locked On Capitals, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. It is your team every day. My name is Dan Holy and I’ll talk to you again next time.

The Washington Capitals made a bold move when they traded Darcy Kuemper to Los Angeles and brought in Logan Thompson from Vegas. What looked like a depth addition quickly turned into a franchise-changing move, as Thompson emerged as Washington’s new number-one goalie. At just 27 years old, he delivered elite regular-season numbers with a .910 save percentage and a 2.49 goals-against average, then elevated his play in the postseason with the best high-danger save percentage of any playoff goalie. The Capitals didn’t hesitate to lock him up long term, signaling confidence that Thompson is the present and future in net.

Meanwhile, Darcy Kuemper had a late-career resurgence with the Kings, posting Vezina-caliber numbers at 34 years old. His rebound raised questions about whether Washington gave up too soon. But with Kuemper nearing the end of his career and Thompson entering his prime, the Capitals’ front office clearly saw the timeline fit. By acquiring both Thompson and Pierre-Luc Dubois in the deal, Washington set themselves up for years to come. The franchise now has stability in goal and a centerpiece forward, making this one of the smartest moves in recent Capitals history.

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