This was the season Charlie Lindgren became a star.
By the Numbers
| Summary | |
|---|---|
| 50 | games played |
| .911 | all-situation save percentage |
| 138.4 | expected goals by opponents, all strengths |
| 127 | actual goals by opponents, all strengths |
| +11.4 | goals saved above expected |
Isolated Impact by HockeyViz
About this visualization: This series of charts made by Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com show how likely to become a goal shots are from different locations on the ice against this goalie. If the hexagon dot is red, then the goalie is weaker against those shots compared to league average. If the hexagon dot is blue, then the goalie is better against those shots. Blue is good; red is bad.
Fan Happiness Survey
About this visualization: At three times during the season, RMNB shared an open survey with fans, asking the following question for each player: “On a scale from 1 to 5, how HAPPY are you to have this player on the team?” The numbers above show the average score for the player in each survey period.
Peter’s Take
Charle Lindgren went from a slightly below average goalie in 2022-23 to a very good one in 2023-24. Ranked by goals saved better than expected, Lindgren placed 14th among the 65 goals who played at least 20 games. And unlike Darcy Kuemper, Lindgren was clutch, saving .926 in up-by-one-goal situations, powering Washington’s uncommon ability to win close games.
It’s a classic breakout season for a player who had been working towards it for eight years. He spent most of that time as an infrequent call-up for Montreal and St. Louis before the Capitals snagged him on a hunch he could outperform his modest $1.1 million contract. He sure did.
Before the Caps made their miraculous push for the playoffs (before a miserable sweep in the playoffs), I wanted the Caps to trade Lindgren before the trade deadline. I figured his numbers, salary, and term (one year remaining) would return more than a first-round pick, and that would be more valuable in coming seasons than a good, cheap goalie. I was and still am right about that, though I sure enjoyed the final stretch of the regular season with Lindgren holding down the net.
The arithmetic hasn’t really changed. Lindgren is a tantalizing asset. The Caps could keep him as a backstop as they attempt the rarely successful rebuild-on-the-fly, but moving him would be a good idea. Looks like right now they’ll go in a different direction. I think I’d be happy either way. Lindgren is an easy-to-root-for player who put in years of hard work before he could be appreciated. He’s sure appreciated now.
Player Summary by ChatGPT
The primo goalie of the Washington Capitals 2023-24 campaign was none other than Charles “Charlie” Lindgren. This goalkeeper from Lakeville, Minnesota, an exurb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul Tripadvisor has 3764 reviews of Lakeville Hotels, Attractions, and Restaurants put up a sv% of .911% in the campaign, placing him among some of the finest goaltenders in the N.H.L. As a backstop, Lindgren had the mettle to deliver the goods, operating as one of the finest netminders in the N.H.L.
While some pundits advocated for trading the netkeeper, who attracted trade buzz before the trade deadline, Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan opted not to trade the crease guard, who crease-guarded the Washington Capitals to a playoff berth.
Ch- on RMNB
- Charlie and his wife Mikkayla have a program called Lindy’s Lineup, which supports adaptive sports for children in special education classrooms. (Mikkayla works in pediatric occupational therapy.)
- Carbery on increased play time: “He is certainly earning more minutes and more starts with the way that he’s been playing. He’s been fantastic.”
- He had a monster performance shutting out the Knights.
- We were barely a month into the season and it was already clear Lindgren was nabbing the top goalie spot.
- On brother Ryan, who plays for the New York Rangers: “If he scored on me, that would probably be the death of me.”
- Lindgren (Charlie) posted another shutout that night, but he said he knew whenever his brother was on the ice.
- Compared to all Washington’s other goalie options lately, Lindgren was having far and away the best season.
- Have you met Josie?
Meet Josie: How Charlie Lindgren’s catching glove earned her name
- Carbery, December 29: Lindgren “will be out for the foreseeable future.”
- Carbery, December 30: “Good news on Chucky this morning.”
- Lindgren returned to play on January 13 and was taking back-to-backs immediately.
- And yet, some people suggested the Caps should trade him.
- The trade market was hot. Demand was out of control. It was discussed. It didn’t happen.
- Ch!
Capitals celebrate Charlie Lindgren’s win over Detroit in locker room with new nickname: ‘Ch! ‘
- On the regular season, before the Caps clinched: “Listen, it’s it’s been a really fun year. It’s been a really good year. But to me, if we come up short, it doesn’t mean as much.”
- On the playoff push: “I’ve been dreaming of this moment for 20 years, honestly. Since I’ve been playing. [These are] the kind of games where 10-year-old me, thinking about playing in the NHL, in a playoff push — I’d have to pinch myself. So I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to be playing for the Capitals and playing for D.C.”
- Lindgren started the final two games of the season, a back-to-back.
- On playing his brother in the first round: “Yeah, he texted me after the Philly game just saying, ‘Nice job, great job on the back-to-back. I’ll talk to you after Round One.’ I said, ‘Sounds good.’ That’s about all the talking that I think we’ll do.”
- RMNB investigated Talledega. It was a mystery until the big revelation.
Charlie Lindgren’s cover of ‘Talladega’ has become the Capitals’ victory song
Your Turn
So: extend him, trade him, or let him walk at the end of next season?
