Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin 8 during the third period timeout of the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 win at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Thursday, November 6, 2025. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUSA PIT2025110617 ARCHIExCARPENTER
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin 8 during the third period timeout of the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 win at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Thursday, November 6, 2025. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUSA PIT2025110617 ARCHIExCARPENTER
This week, the Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery broke down the team's recent offseason moves. This comes right after they missed the 2026 playoffs. He spoke to reporters about the team's plans for making a comeback for the next season.
"I just think deeper," he said, as per Russianmachineneverbreaks.com. "Deeper up front especially. I think there's some good opportunity on our backend, especially with Rasmus being hurt. The addition of Desharnais, Liljegren coming back, Dylan McIlrath, Justin Holl, all we feel really, really good about."
General manager Chris Patrick finally acquired the top-six winger he had been looking for since taking over. Patrick signed veterans Boone Jenner, Vincent Desharnais, Justin Holl, and re-signed defenseman Timothy Liljegren.
LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 30: Washington Capitals Right Wing Tom Wilson (43) looks on during game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Washington Capitals and the Las Vegas Golden Knights on May 30, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire) NHL Eishockey Herren USA MAY 30 Stanley Cup Final Game 2 - Capitals at Golden Knights PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxDENxONLY Icon00718053042862
LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 30: Washington Capitals Right Wing Tom Wilson (43) looks on during game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Washington Capitals and the Las Vegas Golden Knights on May 30, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire) NHL Eishockey Herren USA MAY 30 Stanley Cup Final Game 2 - Capitals at Golden Knights PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxDENxONLY Icon00718053042862
"That is a little bit more: who plays where, who plays with who?" he further said, as per RMNB. "Does Matty Roy come out of the gate playing with Jakob Chychrun? Does he play with Cole? Do we play Marty with Desharnais in a shutdown role? Like what does that look like? So that'll be a little bit more to be determined."
Rasmus Sandin's ACL recovery is forcing the Washington Capitals into an early defensive reshuffle.
With Sandin not expected back until sometime between October and January, head coach Spencer Carbery has to find the right combinations without one of his regular blue-liners.
Matt Roy and Jakob Chychrun clicked throughout last season, giving Carbery every reason to keep that duo intact while the Capitals search for answers elsewhere on the back end.
The new additions should also boost Washington's play next season as they covered all the gaps that held the team back last season. Jenner replaced penalty-killer Nic Dowd, and Tuch also brings in his experience from Buffalo.
On the power play, Kyrou and Tuch have the ability that the Capitals lacked in recent seasons. Tuch averaged 19+ minutes per game, and Jenner averaged 20+ minutes three times in five years. That depth led to a 4th-place finish last year.
Capitals' standings in the last season
Washington closed the 2025-26 season 43-30-9 for 95 points. According to the stats from the NHL. That total left the Capitals short of a Stanley Cup playoff spot.
But their power play was ranked 25th in the league last season, and the penalty kill was ranked 14th. Those numbers help explain why their offseason moves were focused on adding scoring depth.
Alex Ovechkin led the team in goals and points last season with 32 goals and 64 points. Meanwhile, Dylan Strome went on to lead Washington in assists (39).
Even with players like that, the Capitals could not overcome the gaps in their roster, clearly not matching the standards set from past seasons.
With training camp set to start in September, Washington’s rebuilt roster has expectations set on them to push the team back into being a strong playoff contender.
What do you think of the Capitals' offseason moves? Let us know in the comments below.
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Written by
Aadhya Nalla
Edited by
Aadesh Dhote