WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 Charlie Lindgren wondered about his future with the Washington Capitals in late January when they signed the other half of their goaltending tandem, Logan Thompson, to a long-term contract. He wanted to stay with what he considers a home run organization.
He now has no reason to be worried.
A year after carrying the Capitals to the playoffs, Lindgren signed an extension of his own with the team on Monday, getting a three-year deal worth $9 million.
鈥淪ince joining our organization in 2022, Charlie has consistently demonstrated exceptional professionalism and reliability in net with his athleticism and drive,鈥 general manager Chris Patrick said in a statement. 鈥淲ith both goalies under contract for the next three seasons, we expect this tandem to provide our club stability at a crucial position and push one another to compete and play at a high level.鈥
Thompson's deal is for $35.1 million over the next six years. When their new contracts kick in next season, Thompson will count $5.85 million and Lindgren $3 million against the salary cap, giving Washington cost certainty in net at under $9 million annually.
The NHL and NHL Players鈥 Association have already by $7.5 million to $95.5 million in 2025-26 with bigger increases in 鈥26-27 and 鈥27-28.
鈥淕ood for him,鈥 said Ottawa Senators winger David Perron, who overlapped with Lindgren in St. Louis. 鈥淗e would just come and practice and work as hard as he could and put a smile on his face, have a great attitude. Finally, when he got (to Washington), he got a real chance to play consistently. He鈥檚 done a really good job, and obviously he鈥檚 one of the top goalies over the last several years, so great for him.鈥
Lindgren, 31, re-upping comes with the Capitals atop the Eastern Conference and in first place in the Metropolitan Division with a comfortable cushion ahead of second-place Carolina. The combination of him and Thompson is a big reason why.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great partnership,鈥 coach Spencer Carbery told reporters after his team's morning skate in Arlington, Virginia. 鈥淚 think both guys work well together. They feed off of one another. They have a great relationship, so that part of it is excellent. And I think just the way that both guys are such capable 1A goalies in this league, it gives us a luxury of being able to utilize both guys.鈥
Lindgren said the front office reached out to his camp to negotiate right after finalizing Thompson's contract. He would have been a free agent July 1 without a new agreement.
鈥淩eally happy to get it done and to sign a three-year deal here,鈥 Lindgren said. 鈥淎fter Logan signed, (Patrick) actually allowed me the opportunity to go and just meet with him and he still told me where I fit into the picture and how bad he wanted me to be a part of this organization and I can鈥檛 tell you the amount of respect I have for just that meeting and him allowing me to just have a conversation with him just to kind of see where I fit in and it still made sense.鈥
Thompson is in his first season with the Capitals. Lindgren last season won the starting job away from Darcy Kuemper and was arguably their MVP with his play down the stretch to get them into the playoffs against the odds.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been an amazing goaltender,鈥 said Ottawa's Nick Jensen, who played two seasons with Lindgren in Washington and trains with him in the summer. 鈥淗is work ethic and training when he鈥檚 off the ice, on the ice, during games, it鈥檚 unmatched. The guy works so hard, so it鈥檚 really well-deserved and I鈥檓 really happy for him.鈥
Getting something done with pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Jakob Chychrun now becomes the top priority for Patrick, who from longtime GM Brian MacLellan last summer. Patrick has not tipped his hand about his plans ahead of the league's trade deadline Friday, though he is expected to pursue depth on defense and at forward.
He's set in goal now, with Thompson looking like the 1A and Lindgren the 1B option for the foreseeable future. Lindgren is nearly tripling his salary from the $1.1 million he's making on his current contract, and solidifying a spot in the NHL is a big win for the undrafted late-bloomer who started with the Montreal Canadiens and had a small role for the Blues before getting an opportunity in Washington.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to play in Montreal and then probably even harder to be a goalie in Montreal,鈥 said retired defenseman Karl Alzner, who played with Lindgren there and for Laval of the American Hockey League. 鈥淗e had a lot of expectation, too, and to be able to get out of there and take a little pit stop in St. Louis and then really start to shine here I think just goes to show you how good his resolve is and how tough he is mentally to be able to get to this point. He鈥檚 just lovable and he works so hard, and so it鈥檚 great to see.鈥
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