After a 111-point season that included Ovechkin’s record, the Capitals try for an encore
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Washington Capitals
Last season: 51-22-9, reached second round of playoffs.
COACH: Spencer Carbery (91-53-20 in two seasons).
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 8 vs. Boston.
DEPARTURES: F Andrew Mangiapane, F Taylor Raddysh, F Lars Eller.
ADDITIONS: F Justin Sourdif, D Declan Chisholm.
GOALIES: Logan Thompson (31-6-6, 2.49 goals-against average, 0.910 save percentage), Charlie Lindgren (20-14-3, 2.73, 0.896).
BETMGM STANLEY CUP ODDS: 28-1.
What to expect
Alex Ovechkin’s successful pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s goals record was only part of a memorable season in Washington. After barely making the playoffs in 2023-24, the Capitals soared to a division title with the best record in the Eastern Conference and won a playoff series for the first time since their Stanley Cup title in 2018. Several core players from that championship team — Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Braden Holtby — have moved on, but Washington has managed to rebuild on the fly, missing the postseason only once in the past decade. The big question this season is whether it will be Ovechkin’s last in the NHL. He’s entering the final year of his current contract.
Strengths and weaknesses
The good: This is a team that can play four lines and three defense pairings and feel reasonably comfortable with them all. The Capitals had seven 20-goal scorers last season, with Ovechkin, Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas reaching 30. John Carlson and Jakob Chychrun bring plenty of skill on the blue line. Neither goalie is necessarily a Vezina candidate, but each has shown he can get hot for a significant period of time.
The not-so-good: Although its farm system continues to produce capable NHL players, Washington lacks the type of top-end talent it had when it finally made its Stanley Cup run. That can happen when you haven’t been bad enough to land a bunch of high draft picks. Ovechkin managed to produce a 44-goal season at age 39, but any decline from him will leave Washington relying on a number of good-but-not-great players to provide scoring punch. Of those seven 20-goal scorers, five set career highs in goals in 2024-25. Can they avoid regression?
Players to watch
Ovechkin enters the season with 897 goals, meaning he’s three away from becoming the first player with 900. Protas jumped from six goals to 30, and at age 24 he might still have another level he can reach. The one time the Capitals did miss the playoffs recently, they drafted Ryan Leonard with the eighth overall pick. The 20-year-old forward made his debut late last season.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL