The Washington Capitals opened free agency with a bang Wednesday, signing two goaltenders and a defenseman as they look to reshape their roster back into championship form.
Washington's biggest signing was goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who inked a five-year, $26.25 million contract with the Caps after helping lead the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in June. The Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games and Kuemper was a huge part of it, starting 16 playoff games with a 10-4 record, a 2.57 goals against average and .902 save percentage.
Kuemper, 32, went 37-12-4 with a 2.54 goals against average and .921 save percentage in 57 regular-season games in 2021-22. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound goalie tied for fourth in the NHL in wins and shutouts (5) and ranked fifth in save percentage. His 37 wins were a career-high and the fifth-highest in a single season in Colorado's history.
"Darcy is an established starting netminder who proved that he can win on the game's biggest stage, and we are excited to welcome him to Washington," said Capitals senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan. "We feel this signing will provide our team confidence and stability in net."
The Capitals also announced the signing of goaltender Charlie Lindgren to a three-year, $3.3 million contract, filling out their roster that was devoid of netminders after trading Vitek Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils for a pair of draft picks last week and choosing not to extend a qualifying offer to Ilya Samsonov earlier this week.
Lindgren, 28, posted a 5-0-0 record with a 1.22 goals against average and a .958 save percentage in five games with the St. Louis Blues in 2021-22. The 6-foot-2, 179-pound goaltender also appeared in 34 games with St. Louis' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Springfield, going 24-71 with three shutouts, a 2.21 goals against average and a .925 save percentage. He ranked third in the AHL in goals against average, second in save percentage and tied for fourth in wins last season.
The Capitals signed defenseman Erik Gustafsson to a one-year, $800,000 contract. Gustafsson, 30, recorded 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 59 games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021-22. The 6-foot, 197-pound defenseman ranked third among Chicago defenseman in points, second in power play points (four) and fourth in shots (79).
He recently represented Sweden at the 2022 World Championship, where he recorded seven assists in eight games.