Roster overhaul
The Washington Capitals have already added Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou, both of whom have a history of scoring 30 goals in a season, and the moves have sparked a fresh sense of optimism in the locker room. Tuch will make a team‑high $10.5 million a year for the next eight seasons, while Kyrou has five years and $40.625 million remaining on his contract.
Coach Spencer Carbery has been meticulous in managing Ovechkin’s ice time, often limiting him to a third line that could be centered by Ilya Protas. In the previous season Ovechkin averaged a career‑low 17 minutes, 27 seconds of ice time, a figure that the coaching staff hopes to increase with a more supportive roster.
Ovechkin’s crossroads
At 41, Alex Ovechkin is still weighing whether a 22nd NHL campaign is worth the physical toll, but the Capitals have made it clear they want him back. He left town without informing the Caps whether he intends to play again, yet he publicly hinted that he wasn’t done playing and indicated to the team that he was keenly interested in what the Caps could do to upgrade their roster.
The new‑look top six includes Pierre‑Luc Dubois, Dylan Strome, Aliaksei Protas, Tuch, Kyrou and Tom Wilson, while the team holds the 18th overall pick in the upcoming draft and still has $12.7 million in cap space to chase a defenseman. Rasmus Sandin will be out to start the season following knee surgery, but the Capitals believe they have enough flexibility to land a replacement.
With free agency set to open on July 1 and the NHL’s salary cap providing additional flexibility, the Capitals’ front office and ownership went into the offseason knowing they wouldn’t hear about Ovechkin’s intentions until they had made other moves. The team’s aggressiveness in improving the roster makes it more likely that Ovechkin will return for another season.