Athletistic / Hockey. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Washington Capitals have never advanced past the first round of the NHL playoffs. In 2023, the Capitals failed to crack the Eastern Conference top 8 and ended the season after the regular season ended. And in 2024, the Caps miraculously clung to the playoffs, but were immediately defeated by the New York Rangers (0-4 in the series).

Washington’s problems have long been known to every hockey fan: an aging core of stars (both top 6 in attack and top 4 in defense), as well as the lack of influx of new blood. If for the first reason the club itself decided to keep the aging Ovechkin, Backstrom, Carlson and Oshie, then the second part of the problem is related to the fact that the “capital” for ten years was constantly high and therefore did not have high draft picks (or traded them to strengthen the team on time).

In the 2023/2024 season, Washington faced a large number of injuries and other various problems: at the very beginning of the season, Nicklas Backström suspended his career, after the new year, Evgeniy Kuznetsov ended up in the NHL player assistance program, Swedish defender Rasmus Sandin was seriously injured, and by mid-season there were up to 10 people in the infirmary. But even with such problems, Spencer Carbery’s men managed to reach the playoffs, although they played there without glory.

However, during the offseason, Washington became one of the main troublemakers. The Capital management did a remarkable job and significantly strengthened the roster. Even before the free agent market opened, the Capitals traded goaltender Darcy Camper to the Los Angeles Kings and received forward Pierre-Luc Dubois in return. The 26-year-old Canadian with a huge contract of $8.5 million per season fell ill in California, having scored only 40 (16+24) performance points in 82 games last season with a utility indicator of “-9”, so the desire of “Los” is quite understandable “to get rid of this asset. However, “Washington” did everything right: the “Capital” brought the center forward into the second line, giving him a backup goaltender with a big cap hit (the average salary under the contract, which is taken into account in calculating the salary cap). ).

Photo source: Los Angeles Kings

With the 2024 NHL Draft just days away, Washington has once again bolstered its second line by acquiring forward Andrew Mangipani from the Calgary Flames. In return, Calgary received a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Mangipani has a very similar story to Dubois: a big contract, but a weak final season. The 28-year-old Canadiens in the 2023/2024 season over 75 games scored the same 40 (14+26) points using the goal+assist system with a utility indicator of “+7”. But in this deal, it should be taken into account that Washington gave practically nothing in return, and Andrew’s contract with a salary of $ 5.8 million will end in the summer of 2025. In conditions when Max Pacioretty could not meet the expectations placed on him, and the Russian Ivan Miroshnicheno had not yet settled in the NHL, the “capital” recruited a left forward for the second line for practically nothing. Note that it was Manjipani who scored the winning goal against the Russian national team in overtime of the quarterfinals of the 2021 World Cup (2:1 OT). At the moment, this is the last goal missed by the “Red Machine” at international tournaments.

And after the opening of the free agent market, Washington strengthened its defense. Matt Roy signed a six-year contract with the Caps. The 29-year-old American will earn $34.5 million ($5.75 per season) in the capital of his homeland. Last season, Roy played in Los Angeles, where in 81 games he scored 25 (5+20) points with a utility indicator of “+21”. Along with him, Jacob Chickran of the Ottawa Senators joined the capital. In the trade agreement for the 26-year-old Canadian, Washington gave Ottawa defenseman Nick Jensen and a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Last season, Chikran played 82 games in the NHL regular season and scored 41 (14+27) points for his performance. Chykran’s $4.6 million contract extends for one more season, but that’s what allowed the Caps to acquire the Senators’ starting defenseman at a relatively low cost. Potentially, Jacob could become Washington’s defensive leader for many years to come. The only scary thing is his utility metric — Chikran finished the 2023/24 season at “-30.”

Photo source: NHL

Brandon Duhaime has signed a two-year deal with Washington. The 27-year-old Canadiens are clearly designed to bolster the right flank of the attack on the third and fourth lines and are excellent players on the forecheck. Signed to a two-year deal with an annual salary of $1.85 million last season, Duhaime scored 13 (5+8) points in 80 games with the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche, where he was traded at the deadline.

In exchange for Camper, who left for Los Angeles, the Capitals traded goaltender Logan Thompson from the Vegas Golden Knights. The 27-year-old Canadian was the Knights’ primary goaltender last NHL season, posting 25 wins in 46 games with a 2.70 safety factor and 90.8 save percentage. Thompson will provide competition for Charlie Lindgren and won’t take up much cap space either, as he will have an extra year on his contract at a salary of $767,000 per season. It’s worth noting that Logan is a Stanley Cup winner.

Washington’s final deal so far is the signing of forward Taylor Reddish to a one-year contract. The 26-year-old Canadian will earn exactly $1 million in the 2024-25 season and will compete with Duhaime for a spot on the capital’s third line. He spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks and last campaign scored 14 goals (5+9) in 73 games.

Photo source: NHL

Washington GM Brian McLellan has done an incredible job of revamping the roster. The Capitals now have depth, quantity and depth on the roster. If a goaltending problem doesn’t suddenly arise and all the newcomers fit into Spencer Carbery’s mold, then the Capitals can make some noise in the playoffs.

In a recent interview, Washington captain Alexander Ovechkin was asked what was more important to him: breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL regular season goalscoring record or winning another Stanley Cup. The legendary Russian said without hesitation: “Win another Stanley Cup!” With such a lineup, Ovechkin has a real chance to defy his age and lead the team into the fight for the trophy. And with quality and adequate partners, it will be easier for Alexander to catch up with Gretzky. McLellan’s work allows Ovi to chase both hares without loss.

Nikita Serbakov, Athletistic



Athletistic