Alexander Ovechkin’s retirement call was always going to be one of the biggest storylines around the Capitals, and one offseason move apparently hit him harder than most. According to Elliotte Friedman, Ovechkin was feeling down after Washington traded John Carlson, a move that made sense for the organization but clearly didn’t sit well with the captain.
That reaction makes sense given how long the two have been tied together. Carlson and Ovechkin were both central pieces of the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup run, and Friedman noted the pair are close friends.
At the same time, Ovechkin found reason to feel better about where the team was headed as the season wound down. Friedman said he really liked what he saw from Cole Hutson and Ilya Protas.
Hutson, a 20-year-old left-shot defenseman, arrived at the end of the season after his NCAA career at Boston University ended. In 74 games over two seasons there, he put up 80 points, then added 10 more in 14 NHL games.
Protas took a different path, but made just as loud a case for himself. After piling up 124 points in 61 games in the 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League season, he moved on to the Hershey Bears and produced 66 points in 69 games.
He also has a familiar name around the Capitals, with older brother Aliaksei Protas already established in Washington’s forward group.
That young talent matters because the Capitals have also added more firepower. With Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, and Boone Jenner in the mix, the forward group suddenly looks dangerous. For a team that didn’t have the season it wanted in 2025-26, the pieces are there to make Ovechkin’s final chapter a serious one.
Elsewhere in the league, Jason Robertson’s future in Dallas remains unsettled, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have emerged as a team to watch. Robertson is still without a new deal, even though both sides appear to want to stay together.
The issue is money. He’s seeking more than the Stars are prepared to pay, and the belief is that he wants less than the $15.6 million salary offered by the Seattle Kraken.
That offer was turned down, but the decision seems tied to competitiveness as much as dollars. If Dallas were willing to match that level, he likely would have already signed. Instead, the Stars are holding around the $12.5 million range, and if Robertson refuses to come in there, a move could become necessary.
Josh Yohe reported that the Penguins have shown strong interest in Robertson, and that Robertson would be happy to join them. There were also talks between Dallas and Detroit after the Kraken offer was rejected, though a Dylan Larkin deal has not come together yet. A Robertson-Larkin swap has been floated as a possibility, even if Robertson might not extend there either.
Pittsburgh’s interest fits the broader direction the club is trying to take. The Penguins want to get younger and better, and Robertson would fit that push. He’s older than much of the youth wave, but he would still be a major piece and could help define what comes next.
The Penguins are also being tied to another big name. There have been reports of interest in Elias Pettersson from Vancouver, and Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal said Pittsburgh does indeed have interest.
Earlier in the week, there was a report that Vancouver was looking for Ben Kindel in a potential deal, but Dhaliwal said that wasn’t a conversation he was hearing. He also said the Penguins would never give him up for a “bad contract”.
Out in Los Angeles, the Kings are taking a different approach: patience. The organization has long been associated with star power, and that hasn’t changed in a city that loves big names. But the current roster doesn’t have that true franchise centerpiece right now.
Anze Kopitar has retired, Drew Doughty’s career is winding down, and the Kings are still searching for the next face of the franchise. Adrian Kempe remains one of the league’s more underrated wingers, Quinton Byfield is still chasing his breakout year, and Artemi Panarin was brought in to try to lead the offense.
The offseason additions have been solid, but some around the league viewed the overall haul as underwhelming. Still, Friedman said the Kings are looking ahead and keeping their options open for next summer. With a long list of stars potentially available either in free agency or through extension situations that could turn into trade possibilities, Los Angeles is positioning itself for a major swing.
That list could include 2027 free agents Nikita Kucherov, Quinn Hughes, and Cale Makar, while extension-eligible names include Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Zach Werenski, and Andrew Vasilevskiy. The Kings are apparently willing to wait for the right moment, and in true Los Angeles fashion, they’re hoping that moment comes with a blockbuster.
In Other News...
Jason Robertson Situation Just Became More Serious For The Stars
Jason Robertson still remains unsigned as contract talks with Dallas continue, and the longer this drags on, the more it starts to feel like a situation with real league-wide interest attached to it. For the Stars, this is no longer just a routine negotiation with a cornerstone scorer. It has become part of a broader pattern in which restricted free agents are finding more leverage, and Robertsons future is being watched closely well beyond North Texas.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have reportedly shown interest in acquiring him, which only adds another layer to the uncertainty around one of Dallas most important players. Robertsons decision-making appears to be about more than just money, with team fit and organizational stability also part of the equation. For a Stars team trying to keep its core intact, the fact that this has become a conversation at all is a reminder that the stakes are rising. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Suddenly Face A Franchise-Shaping Dylan Larkin Decision
Dylan Larkins trade request out of Detroit has already turned into one of the more interesting wrinkles of the offseason, and the Stars have found themselves pulled into the conversation. The Red Wings are open to moving their captain, but only if the return works for both sides, and Dallas is now among the clubs with a seat at the table alongside Florida, Minnesota and Vegas.
For the Stars, the appeal is obvious: Larkin is a top-end center with a long contract and a fresh career-best season behind him. But this is the kind of deal that can quickly get complicated, because Dallas would have to make the money work while still trying to protect the core that has put the franchise in position to chase bigger things. The list of suitors keeps the pressure on, and the real question is whether Jim Nill can find a path that makes sense without overreaching. [Read more 🡒]