3 players who won't be back on the Capitals next season

#2 Darcy Kuemper

This is a bold one but that's why we're here. What complicates this situation is that Darcy Kuemper has three years left on his unrestricted free agent deal and it's costed the Caps $5.25 million against the salary cap the last two seasons. What makes the situation even more awkward was the emergence of Charlie Lindgren who has just a cap hit of $1.1 million. The latter be a UFA next summer.

The terms of Kuemper's deal, per Cap Friendly say that he has a no trade clause. That would potentially mean a buyout if the Caps felt the need to go that route. But as we've seen from a lot of goalies the last few years, even the great ones struggle.

While Kuemper did win a Cup in Colorado with the Avalanche, he hasn't been able to replicate the same success DC. But if there's any positive, Kuemper never pouted but offered support for the backup turned playoff starter in Chuck.

If the Caps decide to keep Kuemper, this is a big year for him. The 34 year old has to play up to his contract so that way the Caps can improve as a team.