Aliaksei Protas has quietly turned himself into one of the Washington Capitals’ most important offensive pieces, and the next step in his climb could come fast.
After a strong offseason that left Washington looking like a real threat in the Eastern Conference, most of the attention naturally lands on names like Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson, along with the team’s new additions in Kyrou and Tuch. But Protas is the player who could end up swinging the ceiling of this group.
The 2024-25 season gave another clear sign of his growth. Protas scored 30 goals and added 36 assists for 66 points in 76 games, following up a 2023-24 campaign in which he posted 25 goals and 27 assists for 52 points over the same number of games. Across his career, he now sits at 68 goals and 103 assists for 171 points in 321 games, a 0.53 points-per-game average.
That production already placed him firmly among Washington’s top scorers last season. His 25 goals ranked fourth on the team behind Ovechkin, Wilson, and Jakob Chychrun, while his 52 points finished fifth, trailing those three and Dylan Strome.
The bigger number looming now is 100 career goals. Protas is 32 away from that mark, and with a career high of 30 goals, he’s entering the kind of stretch where another jump feels very possible. The setup around him should help, too, as better linemates and a continued rise into his prime could open the door for even more offense.
If he keeps trending the way he has, a 100-goal milestone in the 26-27 season doesn’t look far-fetched at all.
And that’s why Protas matters so much for Washington this year. A season in the 35-to-40 goal range would do more than boost his own résumé - it could put the Capitals in position to chase the top of the Eastern Conference and become one of the NHL’s most dangerous scoring teams.
The Florida Panthers remain the favorites to finish on top in the East, but if everything clicks for Washington, Protas included, the Capitals have the kind of upside that could carry them back to the Stanley Cup Final and into the hunt for their second championship in franchise history.
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Strome is now closing in on his 600th NHL game while also nearing notable career point markers, a reminder of how much value the Capitals have gotten from a move that once looked modest. For a team that has spent recent seasons balancing transition and expectation, his rise has been one of the more satisfying developments to watch, even if the broader story around Washington is still very much being written. [Read more 🡒]