The Capitals already have a strong answer in net with Logan Thompson, and Charlie Lindgren has filled the backup role respectably. But if Washington wants to create real competition behind Thompson, Connor Ingram is a name worth circling this offseason.
Ingram spent last season with the Edmonton Oilers and put together a solid stretch across 32 games. He went 16- wins?
Actually, the source says he won 16 of them, and he finished with two shutouts, a 2.60 goals-against-average and a .899 save percentage. He also posted a +1.7 goals-saved-above-expected.
Lindgren’s numbers were shakier by comparison. In 21 games, he won nine times, had one shutout, and finished with a 3.52 GAA, a .879 SV%, and a -5.3 GSAX.
That gap is why Ingram makes sense as a possible PTO candidate. He’s not a game-changing addition, but if he’s willing to come in on a professional tryout and sign for the league minimum, he could give Washington a low-risk upgrade.
There’s also the possibility the Capitals simply hand Clay Stevenson every chance to win the backup job. Still, if the team wants more certainty as it pushes for a Stanley Cup in what could be Alex Ovechkin’s final season, adding another goalie to the mix would make sense.
Washington would also have the option of carrying a three-goalie setup next season. If Ingram is added, that could turn training camp into a real battle between Stevenson and Ingram, while Thompson remains the starter. The other factor is how much the Capitals value Lindgren’s presence alongside Thompson, which will matter in any decision they make.
In Other News...
Capitals Face A Risky Offseason Question With Evander Kane
The Capitals have already spent much of the offseason trying to deepen the roster, but there is still room for another forward if the right fit comes at the right price. Evander Kane is one of the more interesting names still floating around, a veteran winger who brings a physical edge and enough offense to make teams look twice, even if his last stop in Vancouver did not produce a long-term landing spot.
For Washington, the appeal is obvious on paper: a short-term addition to the bottom six who could add some bite and secondary scoring without changing the financial picture much. The question is whether the fit is worth the risk, because Kanes game has long come with defensive warts, and any team considering him has to weigh what he adds against the moments he can give back in his own zone. [Read more 🡒]
How One Capitals Heartbreak May Have Changed Everything For Decades
The Easter Epic still hangs over Capitals history like a fork in the road. Washingtons 1987 playoff battle with the Islanders became one of those defining losses that gets revisited not just for the pain of it, but for the way it seemed to send the franchise down a different path almost immediately afterward.
What came next mattered as much as the heartbreak itself, because the ripple effects reached beyond one series and into the roster-building decisions that followed. In hindsight, the question is not only what the Capitals lost that spring, but how much of their future was set in motion by the choices made in the wake of it. [Read more 🡒]