thompson_vogel

Last Monday in Edmonton, Logan Thompson’s teammates cheered him at practice as they learned he had been named the NHL’s No. 1 star for the week ending Jan. 19. Exactly a week later in Vancouver, Thompson’s Caps teammates cheered him once again when they learned the 27-year-old netminder had signed a six-year contract extension to remain in Washington.

It’s been that kind of week and that kind of year for Thompson, whose decision to leave Vegas by reportedly seeking a trade last summer looks like a wise one. After rolling out to a strong 22-2-3 start in his first 27 appearances in net this season, Thompson inked a $35.1 million extension to remain in the Caps crease through the 2030-31 season.

When training camp opened in September, each of the top three goaltenders on Washington’s depth chart – Thompson, Charlie Lindgren and Hunter Shepard – was heading into a contract season. And the two varsity netminders – Lindgren and Thompson – were rostered at a combined salary cap hit of just under $2 million, the lowest total for any of the NHL’s 32 teams.

In Lindgren and Thompson, the Caps have the NHL’s first tandem of right-handed catching netminders since Columbus went with a duo of Steve Mason and Mathieu Garon in 2009-10 and 2010-11. It’s worked out well thus far for Washington.

The tandem alternated starting assignments for virtually the entire first half of the season, helping the Caps to a 27-10-4 record at the midway point of the season. When Lindgren suffered an upper body injury on Jan. 10 against Montreal – in the first game of the second half of the season – it marked the first time in 2024-25 that a Washington goaltender wasn’t able to finish a game he started.

It also opened the door for Thompson to start a stretch of games for the Caps in Lindgren’s absence. After falling in overtime to Montreal, the Caps played in Nashville a night later, and Thompson stole the game for them, a 4-1 victory in a game in which they were doubled up 33-16 in shots on goal. Victories over Anaheim, Ottawa, Pittsburgh and Edmonton, respectively, followed, the first two of those coming via the shutout route.

Lindgren returned and was excellent in shutting out Seattle and in a subsequent 2-1 loss in Vancouver. And while the Caps were still in Vancouver – two days after the game with the Canucks – they announced the Thompson extension.

“From early on, I think Logan was definitely open to doing something in season here,” says Caps GM Chris Patrick. “I think he likes our group, likes our team, has a great relationship with our coaches, great relationship with [goaltending coach] Scott Murray, and likes living in the in the DC area. So for all those reasons, he was really open to starting to have the conversation.

“And so we let the season start and just made sure everything was working the way we hoped. And then when it looked like he was comfortable in his role and doing a good job for us, we started the conversations with his agent. And then they progressed fairly steadily and got to the point where it got done now. Once he was ready to do it, we were ready to execute.”

Thompson has been working his way toward this deal and the financial security and term it offers for a decade now, since his junior hockey days with the Grande Prairie Storm of the AJHL and the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. Like Lindgren, Thompson went undrafted as an amateur teenager; both goalies signed their first pro deals as amateur free agents.

In the fall of 2018, Thompson earned an invitation to Washington’s training camp. He was hopeful of using that opportunity to land a pro deal, and when it didn’t work out, he opted to play the 2018-19 season at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.

“I was in talks with one other team – which was Vegas – at the time, but there was nothing firm for me to sign at the moment,” Thompson recalls. “And Washington kept pushing that they wanted me to come to camp. At the time, it was a gamble; they told me about their goalie situation with [Ilya] Samsonov and Vitek [Vanecek] was here, and [Braden Holtby]. And I think [Pheonix Copley] was still here.

“So it was a deep pool, but I just wanted to get my feet wet, so I came here, and ultimately wasn’t able to get a contract, and that’s what led to me going to college. But I built relationships with the goalie group here and with Scotty Murray and everybody else, and I was able to keep in touch with them when I went to school and throughout the years.”

Thompson got his feet wet in the pros late in that 2018-19 season. After Brock’s season ended, Thompson got into eight games with ECHL Adirondack and started one late-season contest for AHL Binghamton. In May of 2019, Thompson signed a one-year deal with AHL Hershey. He spent the entire 2019-20 season at South Carolina, going 23-8-1 with a 2.25 GAA and a .929 save pct. The pandemic cut that season short, and amidst the uncertainty of when a 2020-21 NHL season might eventually get underway, Thompson signed a contract with Vegas on July 13, 2020.

“When we initially saw him and brought him to camp [in 2018] and then ended up signing him to minor league deal [in 2019], he was not unlike a lot of guys,” says Patrick. “We saw a guy that looked like he had a lot of talent in junior and in college, and we liked the way he played the position, as far as how we like our goalies to play the position. We saw a lot of athletic ability, so if you can get a guy like that on a minor league contract, it gives you a chance to further evaluate them a little bit closer, or maybe under a little bit of a different microscope in the organization.

“And then in South Carolina, obviously we’ve got a great relationship with that organization. We’ve got Jason Fitzsimmons [Washington’s director of minor league operations] who lives right there, who himself is an ex-goaltender. So as Logan is there, you start to hear, ‘Hey, this guy looks like a pretty good prospect. He’s doing a really good job down here.’ And so you try to progress and get the next phase, and try to sign them to a deal with the Caps, and bring them into Hershey. And unfortunately, that time around, it didn't work out and he ended up going to Vegas. And like any guy, we continue watching him and continue tracking him.”

Thompson spent most of the 2020-21 season with AHL Henderson – winning the Baz Bastien Award as the League’s outstanding goaltender – and again posting stellar stats; he was 16-6-1 with a 1.96 GAA and a .943 save pct. He also made his NHL debut, playing 8:15 in relief of future Hockey Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center on March 10, 2021, less than two weeks after Thompson’s 24th birthday.

Well over 100 NHL goalies have had “careers” lasting a single game in the League. Thompson could have been one of them; he didn’t get into another NHL game the rest of the season, and he opened the 2021-22 season at Henderson once again. Just as he credits his teammates after every win he earns with Washington, Thompson also credits the goalie coaches he has had along the way.

“First was Alex Westlund [now Detroit’s goalie coach], who was here [in Hershey at the time],” says Thompson. “And then, you know, I go to Henderson and I got Freddie Brathwaite, who really helped me, and I had a really good relationship with him. And also Mike Rosati, who I think actually used to play for the Caps back in the day, and I had Rosati in Vegas, and also had another really good relationship with him. I loved working with him every day and I think he really helped me step in the NHL, and it was really an unfortunate day when Vegas let him go. But a lot of credit goes to those guys for sure.”

It’s ironic that Rosati had an impact on Thompson stepping into the NHL, because he is one of those “one-game goalies.” Drafted by the Rangers in the seventh round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, Rosati played one pro season in the ECHL before going overseas to continue his pro career in Italy and Germany, where he drew the attention of Washington scouts in the late 1990s. When the Caps signed Rosati for their AHL Portland affiliate in 1998-99, he was 30 years old and getting his first taste of the AHL.

The 1998-99 season is one of the most star-crossed in Caps’ history. After reaching the Stanley Cup final for the first time in franchise history the season before, the ’98-99 crew fell to 68 points, largely because of a staggering 510 man-games lost to injury. Goaltenders were not immune; when backup goaltender Rick Tabaracci was injured early that season, Rosati was recalled to backup Olie Kolzig. And one fateful night in Ottawa early in that season, Kolzig didn’t have it.

In a Nov. 7, 1998 game in Ottawa, Kolzig was reached for four goals in a span of less than nine minutes, putting the Caps in a 5-3 hole. Coach Ron Wilson pulled Kolzig in favor of Rosati, who was playing in what would be the only appearance of his NHL career. Rosati shut the door the rest of the way, stopping all 12 shots he faced in 28:07 in the Caps’ crease. And improbably, the Caps rallied for five unanswered goals off Ron Tugnutt and Damian Rhodes, making an 8-5 winner out of Rosati in his only NHL appearance.

Rosati is one of three goaltenders in NHL history to play a single game in relief, earn the win, and do so without allowing any goals.

Thompson returned to the NHL midway through the 2021-22 season, getting his first start in January of 2022 and his first win at San Jose on Feb. 20, 2022, a week before he turned 25. About a week after his birthday that year, Thompson played what would be his last AHL game with Henderson. He signed a three-year deal – opting for the security of term over dollars – for a combined total of $2.3 million on Jan. 30, 2022.

The following season, Thompson was named to the Pacific Division All-Star squad, and he led all Vegas goalies in games, games started, and in minutes played. He also drew some consideration for the Calder Trophy, finishing eighth in voting. Vegas won the Stanley Cup that season, but Adin Hill and Laurent Brossoit handled all of the playoff netminding chores; injuries limited Thompson to just two appearances after the All-Star Game in February.

Thompson authored another strong season in 2023-24 with Vegas, and he gambled on himself when he requested a change of scenery last summer. On June 29 of last year, the Caps dealt a pair of third-round picks for Thompson. Days earlier, they had swapped goaltender Darcy Kuemper to Los Angeles for P-L Dubois, and the Caps were seeking a goalie to pair with Lindgren for 2024-25. At that point, they weren’t certain where that goaltender was going to come from.

“I think we had already started doing some preliminary work, obviously, more around what might be available on July 1,” recounts Patrick of the Caps’ mindset after the Kuemper deal. “And then [previous GM Brian MacLellan] was having the conversations around the league with the other GMs. And it got to the point where he knew that Logan would be available as well, so you add that in as a factor. We knew we could do something now for a guy, or we can try to wait till July 1 and see what's available. And obviously, at that point, you're at the mercy of a player choosing you versus other offers he's getting, and where the prices may go.

“And with Logan, obviously the hard part with a lot of these either trades or [UFA signings] is just understanding – besides the player and how they'll play in your team’s structure – is just who the person is, and how they'll get along with your staff and their teammates. And having Logan in the past in South Carolina and in our organization, and having Scotty Murray have a previous relationship with him, I think that definitely helped us get comfortable enough to do a trade ahead of free agency and just lock it up at that point. And we're obviously pretty happy with how it how it turned out.”

Thompson was as thrilled to be going back to the Washington organization as the Caps were to get him back.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” he says. “Obviously, coming back, there were a lot of relationships I had here previously. It was definitely easy coming back to this organization; they knew who I was, and they knew what they were going to get from me on the ice. So it’s been great. It’s been a fresh start for me, coming to a new spot. I’ve got nothing at all negative to say about it, I’m just happy to be here. I come to the rink every day with a smile on my face; the guys have been amazing. This is a really tight group, and that’s showing up in our strong start to the season.

“I knew as soon as I got traded here, I believed in this team and the pieces that we added. I think that we have something special here, and I thought we were going to be a hard group to beat every night. I think everyone else around the league saw it that way. And I'm not surprised with how well the team has been playing. I think if you just look at the personnel and the leadership and then how well we’ve bonded, I'm not surprised.”

Once Thompson and Lindgren rolled out to strong starts, the Caps showed interest in re-signing both netminders. Thompson’s camp showed interest in chatting about an extension as well, and the two sides got down to the nuts and bolts of what that might look like.

“Usually, a lot of it comes down to comparable contracts and comparable players,” says Patrick. “In the goalie world, there is a pretty broad discrepancy in AAV and in term among goalies. So I think it’s just getting to a point where you and the agent can find two or three goalies that you agree are probably good comparisons for his player.

“And I think once you get to that point, you can start settling in on AAV and term. In this case, that’s how it went with Logan. We had our group of comps and he had his group of comps, and we found some common ground and then worked from there.”

“You have to look at a lot of different factors. You have to look at what you have coming internally, what might be out there in the summer, what’s available in trade and what it’s going to cost. It’s really not unlike any other position when you’re at this point with a potential UFA player that you’re trying to keep. I think you have to weigh all those factors.”

Having weighed them all, the Caps and Thompson came to terms agreeable to both, and the latter signed on the line which is dotted.

A night after signing the contract extension, Thompson returned to his hometown of Calgary and – in front of a host of proud and pleased family and friends – he did what he has been doing all season, winning games for the Capitals. Thompson stopped 32 of 33 shots to earn his 23rd win of the season, and to win his 11th straight start.

“It’s a hard League, right?” he says. “And with goalies, you can have a pretty short lifeline in the NHL. I think the biggest thing that has helped me the most is just staying with my competitive nature; that’s just the kind of person I am, never being happy or complacent and always pushing yourself. I think that’s the biggest thing. There’s always guys younger than you or in the American League always pushing for your job. There’s also a lot of free agent goalies around the League. So I think that’s the biggest thing, just always pushing yourself, working hard, and never being satisfied.”

Originally signing and then losing Thompson before getting him back is not unlike the Caps’ situation with head coach Spencer Carbery, who started his coaching career in the Washington organization, but left to take a job with AHL Providence in the Boston organization. The Caps never stopped tracking both Carbery and Thompson, and when the right time presented itself, both coach and goaltender returned to where it all started for them. And both are thriving with Washington.

“We saw him really grow into becoming a higher end NHL goalie in Vegas, and at that point, you kind of figure, well, maybe he was the one that got away, and then we get another chance to get him back,” says Patrick. “I find it funny in this sport, a lot of times you see a guy, and you never think you’ll see him on your team. And then a few years later, he’s on your team.

“And in this case, you have a guy, and you lose him, and were always kind of regretting it, like, ‘Man, what could we have done different there to not lose him to Vegas, right when he is getting ready to have a bigger role with us?’ And then – go figure – you get a chance to get him back a few years later, and then it turns into this. It’s a really, really cool story.”

Thompson is part of another really, really cool story, one that continues to unfold before us as the 2024-25 season wears on. The Capitals are the surprise team of the NHL, and Thompson is a big part of that. But so are his teammates, many of whom also arrived from other NHL ports of call last summer.

“I think it’s because we're all just the same competitive nature guys,” says Thompson of the team’s success this season. “I think maybe some teams around the league had kind of written us off as well. And I think we all came in here with something to prove, and that's how we've been doing it.

“And obviously we all love each other. We play for each other here, but I think it's safe to say that maybe some of us have you know a little chip on our shoulder, and we're trying to prove the League wrong.”