Confirmed Trade: [WSH/VGK] Logan Thompson for 2024 3rd (83OA) and 2025 3rd

[qc14]

Out of curiosity, was the vibe with the Caps in their Cup season similar to this year? I know there are a lot of different personalities but it's still the same Grand Pooba.

I wouldn't say so. Ovi, Carlson, and Wilson are still here but all the other major players from that team -- Backstrom, Kuzy, Oshie, Orlov, Niskanen, Holtby, Beagle -- are long gone. The 2018 team definitely had more of a "last chance" vibe whereas this team is playing with all house money.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Out of curiosity, was the vibe with the Caps in their Cup season similar to this year? I know there are a lot of different personalities but it's still the same Grand Pooba.

I'd say the vibe is the same, the boys are still all about fun, Ovi is a goofball and his locker rooms have almost always been that way from what media coverage has allowed us fans to see...but the impending feeling of doom (or choking) has washed away since Ovi got his cup. This current team is having fun like the old teams did but they don't get down when things don't go their way.

 

[Drake1588]

Out of curiosity, was the vibe with the Caps in their Cup season similar to this year? I know there are a lot of different personalities but it's still the same Grand Pooba.

There was immense pressure on the team to win a Cup in the 2010s before their core aged out. That was felt by the players, the coaches, management, ownership, and fans right up until the team won in late June 2018 in Vegas. It was a tremendous release valve.

The team has always had a happy vibe to it generally, with Ovechkin at the captaincy position, but there was a tightness that just got ratcheted up every year and it never really faded until it was gone with the Cup win. From that point, everything's been much lighter. Now with the smooth retooling on the fly, which was not expected, this season is just found money. Fans are pretty chill and just taking it as it comes, I think. The vet players seem to feel the same way and the kids are hungry to make their bones in this league. Coach Carbery gets a lot of credit and the team likes him a ton. Very loose room. Extremely positive vibes all around.

 

[Kalopsia]

I wouldn't say so. Ovi, Carlson, and Wilson are still here but all the other major players from that team -- Backstrom, Kuzy, Oshie, Orlov, Niskanen, Holtby, Beagle -- are long gone. The 2018 team definitely had more of a "last chance" vibe whereas this team is playing with all house money.

From what I've heard (which is all just from chatting with people who were around the 2018 team at STH events, so take it for what it's worth), the 2018 vibe actually was that they were playing with house money. People had written them off so most of the pressure was gone. One person told me they made a decent chunk of money betting on them that postseason purely off of the vibes in the locker room. I'd love to get a chance to talk to them again to see how they think this year's team compares to 2018.

 

[Miro4Norris]

Horrible trade from day one, looks brutal now as Hill can’t save a beach ball in playoffs while Thompson is 2nd best Goalie so far.

Thats what happens when you trade your #1G with 762k salary for nothing

 

[hangman005]

Horrible trade from day one, looks brutal now as Hill can’t save a beach ball in playoffs while Thompson is 2nd best Goalie so far.

Thats what happens when you trade your #1G with 762k salary for nothing

I've been hitting ctrl + z for nearly a year now..... hasn't worked

 

[Kolzilla]

Horrible trade from day one, looks brutal now as Hill can’t save a beach ball in playoffs while Thompson is 2nd best Goalie so far.

Thats what happens when you trade your #1G with 762k salary for nothing

At first I thought you were implying it was a bad trade for WSH lol.

 

[hangman005]

At first I thought you were implying it was a bad trade for WSH lol.

That's what I'm trying to convince Washington so hopefully they send him back.

 

[Mr grumpy]

Sorry to point something out that is painfully obvious if you have half a brain. How much is Thompson signed for next year? It ain't under a mill. Vegas made a decision and it blew up in their face. They decided they could not afford him and moved him. Just like both the canes and avs with Rant.

 

[The Duck Knight]

Sorry to point something out that is painfully obvious if you have half a brain. How much is Thompson signed for next year? It ain't under a mill. Vegas made a decision and it blew up in their face. They decided they could not afford him and moved him. Just like both the canes and avs with Rant.

Vegas is paying Hill more going forward than Thompson. Choosing Thompson over Hill would have resulted in better goaltending this year AND an extra 4 million in cap space. Vegas could have afforded to choose LT over Hill. In fact it would have been cheaper long term. They just didn't like him. That's well within their right but it wasn't the right hockey move.

 

[stephenball]

I think there was a few things that went into it that make me not blame Vegas totally for the decision. First obviously there’s been reports of clashes between him and management. But also for better or for worse teams have long memories. When the choice is between two guys they might view fairly evenly they’re probably going to choose the guy that they literally won a Stanley Cup with just a couple years ago.

All this being said, as a Caps fan I’m thrilled with the decision Vegas made, which has potential to be one of the best trades the Caps have made.