After rotating between Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek—two goaltenders who had shown promise but inconsistency in their three and two seasons, respectively—the Washington Capitals cut ties with both during the 2022 offseason. The team, in win-now mode with Alex Ovechkin in the twilight of his NHL career, needed more reliable goaltending.
Washington signed Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren in free agency after trading Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils and not qualifying Samsonov as a restricted free agent. They also let Pheonix Copley, another goaltender used during the 2021-22 season, walk as an unrestricted free agent. With Vanecek and Samsonov now on their second teams since leaving the Capitals, and the team having already parted ways with Kuemper, NoVa Caps assesses the team’s goaltending overhaul two years later.
2022-23 Season
Kuemper and Lindgren’s tenures with Washington got off to strong starts. Kuemper, fresh off leading the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup, posted a 12-9-4 record with a .920 save percentage (eighth in the league; .927 at five-on-five), 2.45 goals-against average (10th), 2.08 five-on-five goals saved above average, and four shutouts (first) in 26 games. Lindgren, meanwhile, went 11-5-2 with a .912 save percentage (25th; .918), 2.60 goals-against average (17th), and 2.08 five-on-five goals-saved below average in 19 games, including a stretch of 10 starts in 11 games while Kuemper was injured.
However, both goaltenders’ performances dipped significantly after defenseman John Carlson suffered a fractured skull and severed temporal artery, forcing him to miss 36 games. Kuemper’s save percentage dropped to .899, and his goals-against average rose to 3.22 after January 10. Lindgren’s numbers also fell to .878 and 3.86 over just 12 games. Washington missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in nine seasons.
Samsonov, meanwhile, had a career year with the Toronto Maple Leafs, going 27-10-5 with a .919 save percentage (tied for sixth; .927 at five-on-five), a 2.33 goals-against average (fifth), .38 five-on-five goals-saved above average, and four shutouts (tied for fifth). He helped Toronto finish second in the Atlantic Division with a 50-21-11 record after signing a one-year, $1.8 million deal. However, his save percentage dropped to .898, and his goals-against average rose to 3.13 in the postseason against two teams with lethal offenses in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers before sustaining an injury in Game 3 of Toronto’s second-round series against the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers. Samsonov earned a one-year, $3.55 million contract in salary arbitration the following summer.
Vanecek signed a three-year contract ($3.4 million cap hit) in New Jersey after the trade and secured the starting role, finishing with a 33-11-4 record (tied for seventh in wins), a .911 save percentage (16th; .920 at five-on-five), a 2.45 goals-against average (eighth), 3.52 five-on-five goals-saved above average, and three shutouts. Like Samsonov, Vanecek’s team faced a couple of powerhouses in the first two rounds of the postseason in the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes. However, he lost the starting job in the playoffs to Akira Schmid after allowing nine goals on 52 shots (.827) in the first round. His struggles continued in the second round after Vanecek got called upon for a second chance, posting an .824 save percentage and 4.81 goals-against average across four games and he did not finish half of them.
Copley also became the No. 1 goalie for the Los Angeles Kings, going 24-6-3 with a .903 save percentage (.918 at five-on-five), a 2.64 goals-against average, and 7.47 five-on-five goals saved above average. However, Los Angeles acquired Joonas Korpisalo for more stability, and Copley played just 28:11 in Los Angeles’ six-game Stanley Cup Playoff exit to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, where he gave up two goals on eight shots against (.750).
Despite improvements from Samsonov, Vanecek, and Copley in their new homes, all three were on teams competing for the Stanley Cup, while the Capitals were plagued by injuries (Carlson and others) and finished 16 points outside the postseason.
2023-24 Season
As the 2023-24 season began, Toronto, New Jersey, and Los Angeles were considered legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, while Washington, which made few offseason moves to improve, was thought to be entering a rebuilding phase. After losing Korpisalo in free agency, the Kings signed Cam Talbot as their starting goaltender ahead of Copley.
Kuemper struggled and eventually lost the starting job to Lindgren, who became Washington’s MVP with a .928 save percentage (second), a 2.27 goals-against average (fifth), and two shutouts (against the defending Stanley Cup Champions and eventual Presidents’ Trophy winners) at the New Year’s Eve point. However, his numbers dipped later as Lindgren finished with a .911 save percentage (tied for 13th), 2.67 goals-against average (16th), and league-high six shutouts to help Washington sneak into the postseason in a rebuilding year. Though, Lindgren turned human as the Capitals got swept in the first round as he earned an .864 save percentage and 3.58 goals-against average.
Kuemper started only five of Washington’s final 31 games with the team’s Stanley Cup Playoff hopes down to no margin for error, finishing with a 13-14-3 record, an .890 save percentage, 3.31 goals-against average, .83 five-on-five goals-saved below average, and a shutout.
Samsonov went 23-7-8 with an .890 save percentage (.908), 3.13 goals-against average, 4.65 five-on-five goals-saved below average, and three shutouts in 2023-24 but cleared waivers and lost the starting job to Joseph Woll. He was thrown into the postseason due to Woll’s injury and faltered, earning an .896 save percentage in a seven-game series loss to the Boston Bruins.
Vanecek’s stats declined as well as he finished with a 17-9-3 record, an .890 save percentage, 3.18 goals-against average, and 7.98 five-on-five goals-saved below average in 32 games before a lower-body injury sustained on February 10 sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
More Movement
Before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, New Jersey traded Vanecek and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the San Jose Sharks for Kaapo Kahkonen. The 28-year-old will now compete for ice time with MacKenzie Blackwood and top prospect Yaroslav Askarov, who requested a trade from the Nashville Predators to play in the NHL this season.
Washington traded Kuemper to Los Angeles for center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who comes with a $8.5 million cap hit for the next seven seasons but offers significant upside as a top-six forward. This move has more potential to be better for Washington, as they did not give up future assets after Los Angeles gave up a top-nine left-wing in Alex Iafallo, two promising young NHL forwards in Rasmus Kupari and Gabriel Vilardi, and a second-round pick less than a year earlier.
Toronto parted ways with Samsonov, opting to sign Anthony Stolarz to back up Woll. Samsonov signed a one-year, $1.8 million deal with the Vegas Golden Knights but may face competition from Schmid, whom Vegas acquired from New Jersey at the NHL Draft.
Conclusion
While Kuemper did not work out in Washington, signing a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender for a team in need of stability at the position made sense at the time. The Capitals were able to secure a proven 26-year-old center with more upside in Dubois without giving up future assets with Kuemper.
Lindgren, with another year left on his contract at just $1.1 million, has proven to be a valuable addition for Washington.
In addition to Samsonov and Vanecek having all moved on to their second teams since leaving Washington, none of three including Copley are guaranteed regular NHL roles this season. Washington also gained a surplus by moving up nine spots in the 2022 NHL Draft (which landed them defenseman Ryan Chesley) in total and saved significant cap space, with only Copley ($825,000) saving more than Lindgren against the salary cap.
Lindgren still has room to grow, but overall, these trade-offs appear to look good for Washington.
By Harrison Brown
