Just days after trading goaltender Darcy Kuemper to the Los Angeles Kings, the Washington Capitals have found his replacement. The Caps acquired Logan Thompson from the Vegas Golden Knights during Day 2 of the NHL Draft on Saturday, the teams announced.

In return, Washington receives a 2024 3rd-round pick and a 2025 3rd-round selection, the former which initially belonged to the New York Islanders but was acquired by the Caps in the trade that sent Joel Edmundson to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the deadline.

Thompson was solid with the Golden Knights in 2023-24, going 25-14-5 with a 2.70 goals-against average and .908 save percentage over 46 regular-season contests. He added a shutout in that span, and went 2-2 in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, adding a 2.35 GAA and .921 SV%.

The 27-year-old was signed as an undrafted free agent by Vegas back in July of 2020. He helped the club win its maiden Stanley Cup championship in 2022-23, defeating the Florida Panthers in five games. The Knights were knocked out in a thrilling seven-game series by the Dallas Stars in Round 1 this time around.

Overall, Thompson is 56-32-11 with the Knights and sports a 2.67 GAA, .912 save percentage and four shutouts over 103 regular-season games. Now out of the timeshare with Adin Hill, Thompson figures to again compete for starts, this time with Charlie Lindgren in 2024-25.

Darcy Kuemper out, Logan Thompson in

At first glance, it looks like there will be a new starting goaltender in the nation's capital. Thompson was excellent for the Golden Knights throughout his tenure, and is making pennies at just $766,667 for 2024-25. He will become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign, and will undoubtedly be due for a raise.

The move comes days after Kuemper was moved to Los Angeles, bringing Pierre-Luc Dubois to Washington after a brutal first season with the Kings. He figures to slot in at 2C for the Capitals next year, and he's an option to center Alex Ovechkin next season.

For Lindgren, he'll now try to prove that he deserves a look as the No. 1 goalie in DC. He showed flashes of excellence last season, and will want to make an impact again in Washington this year. There should be some good competition for starts between the two netminders.

“This is not the first time the 27-year-old [Thompson] has been connected to the Capitals,” wrote Daily Faceoff's Tyler Kuehl shortly after the deal. “Thompson played the 2019-20 season with the South Carolina Stingrays, Washington’s ECHL affiliate. Thompson is heading into the final year of his three-year deal that he signed in January 2022.”

It was a necessary move by the Capitals, who needed a second NHL-caliber tendie after shipping out Kuemper. With Dubois and Thompson both on the roster, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan is showing that this team hopes to make a few more postseason runs while Ovechkin is still active.