The Washington Capitals are set for opening night, and the picture is now clear: a 23-man roster, a fresh batch of young talent, and Alex Ovechkin back at the center of it all as he begins his 22nd NHL season.
The club moved to its final roster on Monday by designating defenseman Rasmus Sandin as injured non-roster. Sandin has been skating on his own while working back from ACL surgery in April. Washington had already pared the group down to 24 players on Sunday before making the final move to get down to the opening-night number.
Ovechkin will captain the team, while Tom Wilson will serve as one of the alternates. The Capitals said the rest of the alternate captains will be announced on Wednesday.
Washington’s forward group for the opener includes Anthony Beauvillier, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Ethen Frank, Boone Jenner, Jordan Kyrou, Ryan Leonard, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Alex Ovechkin, Aliaksei Protas, Ilya Protas, Justin Sourdif, Dylan Strome, Alex Tuch and Tom Wilson. Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson will handle the net.
The roster blends established names with a wave of young players who are moving into bigger roles. Leonard and Sourdif are both on eight-year extensions after strong rookie seasons, giving Washington two long-term pieces to build around. Ilya Protas and Cole Hutson are also in line for their first full NHL seasons, while Miroshnichenko is making the full-time jump after spending years developing with the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
There’s plenty of size in the group, too. Washington now has 11 players who have recorded at least one 20-goal season in their careers, and nine players on the roster stand at least 6-foot-4.
The Capitals open the regular season Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
In Other News...
Ovechkin Faces A Huge Capitals Question Entering This Season
Alex Ovechkin is headed into the 2026-27 season with the same familiar burden and allure that have followed him for years: he is still the face of the Capitals, still producing goals at an elite level, and still chasing history with 929 regular-season goals to his name. After recently signing a one-year extension, he remains central to Washingtons plans, even as the conversation around him has shifted from whether he can score to how carefully the team can manage his usage.
Analysts still see him landing in the neighborhood of 30 goals this season, a reminder that the endgame may be closer but is not yet here. For the Capitals, the real question is how much to lean on a veteran captain whose value goes far beyond the box score, especially with age, team depth and playing-time management all part of the equation as they try to squeeze every last bit out of one more Ovechkin season. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Just Lost Goalie Depth At The Worst Time
Washingtons goaltending depth took a hit when Clay Stevenson was moved out of the organization after splitting parts of last season between the Capitals and the Hershey Bears. The 25-year-old had been part of the clubs pipeline, working between the NHL and AHL as an option the team could lean on if injuries or workload issues ever forced a shuffle in net.
Now that Stevenson is gone, the Capitals have a little less margin behind their top options at a time when every layer of depth matters. He has one year left on his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season, which means Washington did not just lose a goalie for the moment, it also lost a possible piece of its longer-term picture. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Just Addressed A Growing Goalie Problem Behind Hellebuyck
The Capitals expected Clay Stevenson to move on, and it happened quickly when Winnipeg claimed the 27-year-old goalie off waivers to shore up its depth. Stevenson had spent time in Washingtons organization, but the Jets were in a bind with Connor Hellebuyck away from camp, so they moved to secure another experienced option and keep their goaltending pipeline from getting jammed up at the NHL level.
For Washington, the loss is manageable because the club has other netminders in its AHL system who can absorb the workload in Hershey. The bigger ripple effect may be felt on the farm, where the crease picture now shifts again and one veteran option is suddenly in position to take on a much larger role if the organization chooses to give him a full contract. [Read more 🡒]