On the second day of the 2024 NHL Draft, the Vegas Golden Knights traded goaltender Logan Thompson to the Washington Capitals. Thompson, who is 27 years old, had spent parts of four seasons in Las Vegas and was a member of the 2022-23 Stanley Cup winning team. However, he missed the final three months of the season due to injury. His time with the Golden Knights came to an end on a somewhat awkward note, as the trade with the Capitals was announced shortly before he was scheduled to hold an autograph session for fans inside the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Despite being traded, Thompson went ahead with his planned autograph session as a way to say goodbye to his fan base in Las Vegas. He spent an hour signing autographs and taking photos with fans before speaking with reporters about his feelings on being traded. Thompson admitted that he had requested the trade and acknowledged that it would take some time for him to process this major change in his career.
Thompson expressed that this was a new experience for him, as he had never been traded before in juniors or as a professional player. He noted that being part of only one NHL team – the Golden Knights – during his entire career made this change even more significant for him. Prior to joining the Capitals, Thompson had previously been part of their organization during their 2019-20 season when he signed a one-year deal with their AHL affiliate in Hershey. He also attended their development camp in 2019 and has a relationship with Capitals goaltending coach Scott Murray.
Following Thompson’s departure from Las Vegas, the Golden Knights made another move by acquiring restricted free agent Akira Schmid from New Jersey Devils to serve as Adin Hill’s backup goaltender. The Schmid acquisition signaled that despite losing Thompson’s services, the Golden Knights were still committed to building a strong goaltending unit for future successes on and off-the-ice.
