Knights trade goaltender to Capitals: ‘Vegas will always be home’

Logan Thompson was in bed Saturday when his phone rang.

That’s when he learned from Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon he was being traded to the Washington Capitals.

The call worked out in a way for Thompson. It woke him up about an hour before he needed to be at Sphere to sign autographs.

“It was a good alarm clock,” Thompson said.

The Knights traded their 27-year-old goaltender, who rose up the ranks from Canadian college hockey to the NHL, to Washington in exchange for a third-round pick at this year’s draft and a third-round pick next year. McCrimmon said Thompson requested a trade.

Thompson confirmed that with the Review-Journal following McCrimmon’s news conference.

McCrimmon said Thompson got to a point in his career where he needed a change. Thompson said he didn’t want to leave the Knights, but he wanted a chance to prove he could be the No. 1 goaltender over Adin Hill.

“It just came down to where I’m at in my career,” Thompson said. “I think I have more to give in the NHL and that’s becoming a true No. 1 goalie. Sadly, it’s not here in Vegas.”

Thompson and McCrimmon go back to the goaltender’s junior days.

Thompson played for the Brandon Wheat Kings from 2015-18 when McCrimmon was the coach and general manager there. Thompson said he thinks the world of McCrimmon. The feeling is mutual.

“We hold him in high regard,” McCrimmon said. “It happens. It happens around the NHL.”

The Knights used their new selection to take goaltender Pavel Moysevich.

The team announced the trade at 9:33 a.m. Thompson’s appearance at Sphere was scheduled for 10 a.m. He kept the appointment.

“I was still going to come down here for the fans and be around,” Thompson said. “It’s cool to sign some stuff say hi and bye. And I wanted to see the Sphere.”

More to prove

The trade does represent a full-circle moment for Thompson. He played for the Capitals’ ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, the season before he signed with the Knights in 2020.

One of the first people to call Thompson after the trade was Washington goalie coach Scott Murray. The two developed a strong relationship after Thompson took part in the Capitals’ development camp in 2019.

He should get a chance to compete for the top job in Washington with incumbent Charlie Lindgren.

“I’m excited. I’ve got a lot more I can prove in this league,” Thompson said. “It’s nice to get an opportunity in Washington.”

The trade ends what was a meteoric rise for Thompson through the Knights’ goaltending ranks. He won the Bastien Award as the best goalie in the American Hockey League in 2021 with the Silver Knights. He made his first NHL start on Jan. 4, 2022.

Thompson got his first extended run in the Golden Knights’ crease late in the 2021-22 season thanks to injuries to Robin Lehner and Laurent Brossoit. He went 10-5-3 down the stretch and almost got the team into the playoffs.

Thompson began the next season as the Knights’ primary starter and was named an All Star as a rookie. Separate lower-body injuries then kept him out for almost all of the second half. He didn’t make an appearance during the Knights’ playoff run that resulted in a Stanley Cup championship.

Thompson started last season sharing the net with Hill again, but this time he was the one that took over late in the year. He went 8-2 his final 10 decisions and started the first four games of the Knights’ first-round series against the Dallas Stars.

Thompson played well. He allowed 10 goals, posted a .921 save percentage and went 2-2.

Coach Bruce Cassidy still decided to switch to Hill for Games 5-7. Hill also played well, posting a .931 save percentage, but the Knights lost in Game 7 to get eliminated from the playoffs.

Thompson was about the enter the final season of a three-year, $2.3 million million deal he signed in 2022.

Looking to the future

The Knights found a new goaltender fast.

They acquired goalie Akira Schmid and right wing Alexander Holtz from the New Jersey Devils later Saturday for left wing Paul Cotter and a 2025 third-round pick.

Schmid will likely be the Knights’ No. 3 goaltender, McCrimmon said. The team will need to find a new goalie to pair with Hill, who is entering the final season of the two-year, $9.8 million extension he signed last June.

“I think I had a good four years. I’m going to miss it. I don’t have any bad memories. Vegas obviously gave me a chance in the NHL and gave me a chance to be the Stanley Cup champion,” Thompson said. “I’ll remember that forever. Vegas will always be home.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.