*Photo from The Hockey Writers*
We have a Stanley Cup champion off to the nations capital. The Washington Capitals and G Darcy Kuemper have agreed on a 5 year, $26.25 million deal, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN. The Capitals have confirmed the deal.
Capitals GM Brian McClellan said of revamping the goaltending that "I think it was the goal going into free agency that we wanted to change our goaltending, and we accomplished it. I feel good about both guys we've gotten, and I look forward to the season with both of them in net."
Kuemper's contract has an AAV of $5.25 million per season, and has a $2 million signing bonus each year, running through 2026-2027 when the deal expires. Kuemper also has a modified no trade clause all 5 seasons of the deal, which is a 15 team no trade list for the first two seasons of the deal, and a 10 team no trade list for the final 3 seasons.
Last season, his only one in Denver, Kuemper had a record of 37-12-4, with 32 quality starts and a 2.54 GAA with a .912 save percentage across 57 starts in the regular season. Kuemper had a 10-4 record with a 2.57 GAA and .902 save percentage in 16 playoff starts, missing some time with injury.
In 10 career NHL seasons with 4 different teams, Kuemper has a 143-95-36 record with a 2.48 GAA and .918 save percentage, with 25 career shutouts in 282 starts and 17 relief outings. In the playoffs, Kuemper has a 17-10 record with a 2.72 GAA and .908 save percentage, with two shutouts in 30 starts and 4 relief appearances.
Kuemper said of joining the Capitals that he is "Super excited for the new opportunity. I think this is a team that can win it. That's always a lot of fun to be a part of. Really looking forward to getting started. It's going to be a short summer, but I can't wait to get down there and meet the guys."
Despite a shaky playoffs, Kuemper had a strong regular season and is a clear upgrade in net for the Capitals. After shaky tenures in Washington, the Capitals cut ties with both Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek as they look to spark the team and make another Stanley Cup run.
McClellan said of moving on from Samsonov and Vanecek that "The young guys were good. I guess it's a little frustrating that I wish one of them would have taken over the No. 1 spot. And it seemed like one or the other were going to, but then they never quite did it and I think we ran out of time to wait for it. I still think they both have good futures in the NHL. They're still young, they're still improving. It was just a situation where we tried it, and we don't have more time to stick with them both."
In Washington, Kuemper becomes the clear starting goalie for the Capitals, sitting ahead of Charlie Lindgren, who the Capitals signed to back up Kuemper after a really good season in the AHL last season.
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