Just over five months after a disappointing 2025-26 season ended with a cloud of uncertainty in Washington, the Capitals are officially back on Wednesday as training camp opens in Arlington, Virginia.
While Washington GM Chris Patrick was largely idle last season as the team struggled offensively and with injuries as captain Alex Ovechkin’s contract was expiring, the summer was anything but quiet.
The Capitals engineered a trade for Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues and a deal for Alex Tuch from the Buffalo Sabres to boost their offense, then bolstered their defense by adding Vincent Desharnais in free agency.
After the moves, Ovechkin made it official, coming back for at least one more season on an incentive-laden deal.
The end result is a team that missed the Eastern Conference playoffs by four points now has perhaps the highest expectations for a Capitals team in at least a decade.
With the additions up front, with Kyrou, Tuch, and Boone Jenner, the question is where some of the younger prospects may fit in. Ilya Protas, who was impressive at the end of last season as a call-up, certainly may get a look for a roster spot, and while Andrew Cristall may not make the cut for Opening Night, he will be on Washington’s radar this season.
Defensively, the biggest addition is a full year of Cole Hutson, who was also impressive in his first taste of professional action with Washington last spring. While Hutson certainly will need to be paired with a defensively responsible partner, his offensive skill will help the power play and push the tempo offensively.
With a compressed camp and just four preseason games to decide the 23-man roster, the biggest question for Washington could be in net, and in particular the backup spot on the roster.
Logan Thompson won the starting role last season with his solid play, particularly down the stretch, but the Capitals have a pair of netminders who are capable backups in Charlie Lindgren and Clay Stevenson.
Capitals Get Contracts Completed Before Camp
With Tuesday’s contracts handed out to Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif, Washington may look for ways to trim their cap hits, and goaltending may be a spot where they can shave some space if they wish.
Lindgren certainly has more experience of the backup candidates, but also two more seasons with a cap hit worth $3 million per season. Stevenson has been impressive in the American Hockey League with the Hershey Bears, but also is not waiver-exempt and unlikely to clear should Washington opt to send him down.
This all means either the Capitals would need to make a trade to keep from losing a netminder outright, or carry three goalies at least to start the season and see if they can sneak Stevenson down once the campaign is underway.
Washington also has Cal Petersen in camp on a PTO, and he certainly could take a spot in the AHL if needed, and give the Caps some options in net should they opt to cash in on one of their backup candidates.
The preseason begins in what figures to be a pair of showcases for those looking to make an impression on Sunday in Boston and Monday in Hershey, while a more NHL-ready roster figures to play the last two at home vs. the Bruins and in Philadelphia to close out the four-game slate.
While the compressed preseason means less of a shot for some to make the cut, there certainly will be intrigue in how the revamped roster takes shape heading into what figures to be an intriguing season on many levels.
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