Washington’s new-look forward group will get a few spotlight dates on the 2026-27 schedule, and none figure to feel bigger than the return trips for Jordan Kyrou, Boone Jenner, and Alex Tuch. The Capitals brought in all three this offseason, and each one now has a road game circled as a reunion with the team where he built his NHL identity.
The first of those homecomings comes early. Kyrou is set to head back to St.
Louis on Saturday, Nov. 28, and it will be his first game back in the only NHL home he has ever known, Enterprise Center. The 28-year-old center arrives in Washington after an offseason trade that sent Connor McMichael to the Blues.
Before the move, Kyrou put together 168 goals and 210 assists for 378 points in 488 games in St. Louis.
His place in Blues history is already locked in. Kyrou sits 13th all-time in goals, ahead of Brendan Shanahan and Robert Thomas, and 17th all-time in points, ahead of Chris Pronger and Pierre Turgeon.
He also has five hat tricks in a St. Louis sweater, which ties him for sixth in franchise history with Vladimir Tarasenko, Shanahan, and Jorgen Pettersson.
Jenner’s return lands on New Year’s Eve, when Washington visits Columbus on Dec. 31, 2027.
The former Blue Jackets captain leaves behind a massive footprint after more than a decade in the city. He played 808 games over 12 seasons, making him the franchise’s all-time leader in games played.
Jenner also ranks third in Blue Jackets history in goals with 212, assists with 209, points with 421, and game-winning goals with 31. One of the stranger entries on his résumé: he owns the third-fastest goal to start a game in team history, scoring 13 seconds in on the 208th goal of his career in a 3-2 overtime win over the Arizona Coyotes in December 2016. The 33-year-old forward spent the last five seasons as captain and was part of the team’s leadership group for 11 total seasons, so this one marks a clear break from the era he helped define.
Tuch’s reunion comes late in the season, with Buffalo waiting on March 18. The Syracuse, New York-born winger was a key part of the package the Sabres received when they sent Jack Eichel to Vegas in November 2021, and he spent five seasons in blue and yellow before joining Washington. Across 360 games with Buffalo, he scored 139 goals and added 170 assists for 309 points.
His numbers stack up well in Sabres history, too. Tuch leaves Buffalo tied with Eichel in goals scored and sits 29th in points, ahead of Sam Reinhart and Jeff Skinner. He topped 30 goals three times with the Sabres, including in 2024-25, when he led all league forwards with 113 blocked shots, the most by any forward on record since the NHL began tracking the stat in 2005-06.
Those three returns are only part of what should be a busy season for Washington under the league’s new 84-game schedule. The Capitals open on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champions from Raleigh, North Carolina on Oct.
- The Hurricanes begin their season by hosting the Florida Panthers on Sept. 29, so there will be no extended banner-raising before Washington arrives.
Pittsburgh will also loom large on the calendar, as it always does when Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are involved. The Capitals visit the Penguins on Jan. 18 and Mar. 13, then finish the regular season at Capital One Arena against Crosby’s team on Apr. 4.
With an expanded 42-game road slate, Washington’s success away from home may end up being one of the season’s biggest storylines. Last year, the Capitals were the only Metropolitan Division team with a losing road record at 18-19-4. If they can turn that around, the added firepower up front could help push them back into the playoff mix during the Ovechkin era.
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