Fantasy Take: Capitals Lock-Up Their Goalies with Kuemper and Lindgren

Washington capitalized on their opportunity to reset in net this offseason, and after parting ways with both Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov, they have landed the big free agency fish in Darcy Kuemper, and will have Charlie Lindgren to back him up.

Kuemper gets $5.25M per year for five years.

Lindgren gets $1.1M per year for three years.

What the Capitals are getting:

Kuemper comes in with a great track record, having thrived in Arizona, and then won a cup as the starting goalie with the Avalanche. Assuming his eye issues from the playoffs are behind him, this should be a good bet for a Capitals team that is looking to extend their window as long as they can manage.

The 32-year-old Kuemper has put up a sub-2.6 GAA in each of the last five seasons, and a save percentage of at least .920 in four of the last five years. He has a history of being able to handle the load as a workhorse goalie, and seems to manage himself well even with new team defences in front of him, which is an area where some goalies can really struggle. He will have a capable backup behind him though, which will be a key in not over-working him before the playoffs.

That's where Lindgren comes in. The 28-year-old only has 29 career NHL appearances, but won all five of his games last season with the Blues. He has some upside now with getting a bit more of a leash to work with as an NHL backup spot is nearly guaranteed.

There's lots of upside here with Lindgren, having the three-year deal, a bargain $1.1M cap hit, and only one goalie in front of him now, with that goalie having had his share of injuries in the past. There's both the volume and the ratios upside with Lindgren, and should be someone that every Kuemper owner takes a long look at rostering for the insurance.