Kuemper signs five-year, $26.25 million contract with Capitals

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Darcy Kuemper signed a five-year, $26.25 million contract with the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. It has an average annual value of $5.25 million.

The 32-year-old goalie was 37-12-4 with a 2.54 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and five shutouts in 57 regular-season games last season, his first with the Colorado Avalanche after he was acquired in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes on July 28, 2021. Kuemper was 10-4 with a 2.57 GAA, .902 save percentage and one shutout in 16 Stanley Cup Playoff games, helping the Avalanche win the Cup for the first time since 2001.
"Super excited for the new opportunity," Kuemper said. "I think this is a team that can win it. That's always a lot of fun to be a part of. Really looking forward to getting started. It's going to be a short summer, but I can't wait to get down there and meet the guys."
The Capitals revamped their goaltending by signing Kuemper to be their No. 1 and Charlie Lindgren to be their backup. Lindgren, 28, signed a three-year, $3.3 million contract ($1.1 million AAV).
"I think it was the goal going into free agency that we wanted to change our goaltending, and we accomplished it," Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. "I feel good about both guys we've gotten, and I look forward to the season with both of them in net."
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The Capitals wanted more experience in goal after Ilya Samsonov, 25, and Vitek Vanecek, 26, split time in each of the past two seasons. Samsonov was 23-12-5 with a 3.02 GAA, .896 save percentage and three shutouts in 44 games (39 starts) last season. Vanecek was 20-12-6 with a 2.67 GAA, .908 save percentage and four shutouts in 42 games (39 starts).
With each slated to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, the Capitals traded Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils on Friday and decided not to make Samsonov a qualifying offer before the deadline Monday, making him an unrestricted free agent. He then signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
"The young guys were good," MacLellan said. "I guess it's a little frustrating that I wish one of them would have taken over the No. 1 spot. And it seemed like one or the other were going to, but then they never quite did it and I think we ran out of time to wait for it. I still think they both have good futures in the NHL. They're still young, they're still improving.
"It was just a situation where we tried it, and we don't have more time to stick with them both."
Washington, which hasn't advanced past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since winning the Cup in 2018, knows the clock is ticking on its chances of winning another with an aging core that includes Alex Ovechkin, 36, T.J. Oshie, 35, Nicklas Backstrom, 34, Lars Eller, 33, and John Carlson, 32. Backstrom intends to return at some point next season after recovering from resurfacing surgery on his left hip, but when the center will be ready to play remains uncertain.
The Capitals believe they are better equipped to make another run with the goaltending tandem of Kuemper and Lindgren.
"I think it's really good," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. "Darcy's a veteran goaltender who just won the Stanley Cup, had a terrific year, brings a lot of experience and a history of playing really well. We're really excited to have him. Charlie Lindgren, he's, from what I understand, a really great person, a great team guy, has had some good numbers as well.
"Definitely a new look in net for us, and we're really excited about it."
Kuemper is also excited after getting to lift the Stanley Cup for the first time last season.
"Obviously, it's a team that's won before and it's a veteran group that knows how to win," he said. "That's what I was looking for: another chance to go win. I think this is a place where we can do that."
Video: Darcy Kuemper on signing with the Washington Capitals
Selected by the Minnesota Wild in the sixth round (No. 160) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Kuemper is 143-95-36 with a 2.48 GAA, .918 save percentage and 25 shutouts in 299 regular-season games (282 starts) for the Avalanche, Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings and Wild. He is 17-10 with a 2.72 GAA and .908 save percentage in 34 playoff games (30 starts).
Lindgren was 5-0-0 with a 1.22 GAA and .958 save percentage in five games (four starts) with the St. Louis Blues last season, but he played the majority of the season with Springfield of the American Hockey League, going 24-7-1 with a 2.21 GAA, .925 save percentage and three shutouts in 34 games.
He went 5-3 with a 2.79 GAA, .914 save percentage and one shutout in eight playoff games, helping Springfield advance to the Calder Cup Final.
The Lakeville, Minnesota, native is 15-12-2 with a 2.74 GAA, .913 save percentage and two shutouts in 29 NHL games (28 starts) with the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues.
"We liked his performance last year," MacLellan said. "I know it wasn't a lot of games, but we think there is some upside there in the goalie. So, we gave him the three-year term because it was competitive for him and I think there was a lot of teams that were looking at him and he was coming in at a good number and he had good performance last year but limited games.
"We think he can continue to play well."
Washington acquired forward Connor Brown in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
The 28-year-old forward, who has one season remaining on a three-year, $10.8 million contract ($3.6 million AAV) he signed with Ottawa on Oct. 22, 2020, had 39 points (10 goals, 29 assists) in 64 games with Ottawa last season.
The Capitals also re-signed forward Marcus Johansson to a one-year, $1.1 million contract, and signed defenseman Erik Gustafsson to a one-year, $800,000 contract. Johansson, 31, had 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 69 games last season with the Capitals and Seatle Kraken. Gustafsson, 30, had 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 59 games with the Chicago Blackhawks.
MacLellan said Gustafsson would likely play on the left side of Washington's third defense pair with Trevor van Riemsdyk, replacing Justin Schultz, who signed with the Kraken.