| Pos | Role | Name |
| C | 1 | Nicklas Backstrom  ActiveNicklas Backstrom has become the leader of the Washington Capitals. While most would figure it would be Alex Ovechkin, Ovie is not the one in the dressing room to say a lot and Backstrom has become quite vocal when needed. "He's a fairly quiet guy," T.J. Oshie said. "He's reserved, he's extremely poised with his emotions and with his hockey game, how he carries himself on the ice. When things need to be said and Nick speaks and he stands up and he says something, you listen because he cares, he thinks about what he says and he says the right things and a lot of the right moments." Backstrom is the Capitals top point-getter as he finished with 86 points in the regular season and 13 points in 13 playoffs games. He should be taken in the top-two rounds of most pools next season. May 21 |
| 2 | Evgeny Kuznetsov ActiveEvgeny Kuznetsov has inked an eight-year, $62.4 million contract with the Washington Capitals Sunday night. That works out to a $7.8 million annual cap hit. The Capitals are definitely taking a risk here as Kuznetsov had 77 points in 2015-16, but took a step back last season to 59 points. The 25-year-old has the potential to be an elite forward through the life of this contract though. "Evgeny is a premier center in the NHL and we are pleased that he will remain in Washington for at least the next eight years," said Capitals GM Brian MacLellan. "It is difficult to find a player of his caliber, who is in his prime and makes his teammates better. Evgeny plays with a tremendous skill, speed and tenacity needed to win in the NHL." Jul 2 |
| 3 | Lars Eller ActiveLars Eller had a pair of assists in the Capitals 4-2 win Saturday. Eller had Alex Ovechkin on his wing and that never hurts as he set up Ovie's insurance goal. Eller has five assists in 11 games during the playoffs and has not been a bad selection in playoff pools thus far. May 7 |
| 4 | Jay Beagle ActiveJay Beagle had the best season of his NHL career in 2016-17. The 31-year-old who has one more year on his contract, had 13 goals and 30 points with a plus-20 rating this past season and gave the Capitals some depth scoring as a bottom-six forward. He was pointless in 13 playoff games and that did not bode well for Washington who once again were bounced from the playoffs in the second round. Look for 25-30 points next season from Beagle. May 22 |
| 5 | Chandler Stephenson ActiveThe Washington Capitals have signed Chandler Stephenson to a two-year contract. Stephenson's deal is two-way in the first season with him having the potential to earn $650,000 at the NHL level or $125,000 in the minors. For the second season it turns into a one-way contract, which means he'll make $650,000 in 2018-19 regardless of what level he's playing in. He had 10 goals and 38 points in 72 AHL contests last season. The 23-year-old has appeared in 13 career NHL games, but doesn't have a point at that level. Jun 29 |
| LW | 1 | Alex Ovechkin ActiveThe Vegas Golden Knights will not be trading for Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, per GM George McPhee. "That's not going to happen. Too many No. 8 jerseys in Washington," McPhee told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. McPhee could be bluffing, but the Golden Knights also don't really have the assets to acquire a player of Ovechkin's caliber in a trade. McPhee has also said that he plans on going with younger players in his quest to build up his expansion roster. All in all, Ovechkin to Vegas seems like a huge long-shot. Jun 3 |
| 2 | Brett Connolly ActiveBrett Connolly has agreed to a two-year contract with the Washington Capitals. Connolly's new contract has an annual average value of $1.5 million. He didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Capitals, but he was still expected to stay with the team. Jun 26 |
| 3 | Tyler Graovac ActiveThe Washington Capitals have acquired Tyler Graovac from the Minnesota Wild for a fifth-round pick in 2018. Washington needed to acquire one more player who met the minimum requirements for the expansion draft or they would have had to expose two of Lars Eller, Tom Wilson or Jay Beagle. Graovac had seven goals and two assists in 52 games with Minnesota this season. Regardless of where he plays next season, he won't have any fantasy value. Jun 14 |
| 4 | Jakub Vrana ActiveJakub Vrana is not guaranteed to have a roster spot with the Capitals in 2017-18, according to GM Brian MacLellan. "He definitely has NHL speed, [an] NHL shot, NHL goal-scoring ability. We still project him as a top-six guy, but he's going to have to learn to play the complete game," said MacLellan. "And that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to develop him into a 200-foot player down there versus when he comes up here." Vrana recorded three goals and three assists in 21 appearances with Washington last season. He had 36 points in 49 AHL contests before going pointless in seven playoff outings. Jun 7 |
| 5 | Nathan Walker ActiveNathan Walker has signed a two-year, two-way contract extension with the Washington Capitals. Walker was set to become a restricted free agent this summer as his entry-level contract was over. He had 11 goals and 33 points in 58 AHL contests in 2016-17. There's a real chance that he'll make his NHL debut next season. Jun 1 |
| RW | 1 | T.J. Oshie ActiveThe Washington Capitals have signed T.J. Oshie to an eight-year, $46 million contract extension. That works out to a $5.75 million annual cap hit, which is on the low end of what we thought he would get, but presumably the Capitals got him to agree to a lower AAV in exchange for a longer contract. In that regard this deal might hurt Washington in the long-term as Oshie will turn 31 in December. For now though his continued presence will be big for the Capitals as he's been a key member of the squad. He's breached the 50-point mark in each of his last four seasons and had 33 goals and 56 points in 68 contests in 2016-17. Jun 23 |
| 2 | Andre Burakovsky ActiveThe Washington Capitals have inked Andre Burakovsky to a two-year, $6 million contract. Burakovsky was a restricted free agent this summer after completing his entry-level contract. A bridge deal made a lot of sense here as Burakovsky has shown promise, but he hasn't reached the 40-point mark in a season yet. The 2017-18 campaign could be where that changes though as he should get an opportunity to serve as a top-six forward. Jul 4 |
| 3 | Tom Wilson ActiveTom Wilson is fine after leaving practice early on Tuesday, according to coach Barry Trotz. He was hit in the foot with a shot and left the session early. Wilson had three goals and 12 penalty minutes in six games against Toronto in Round 1 of the postseason. He should be available for Game 1 versus Pittsburgh on Thursday. Apr 25 |
| 4 | Devante Smith-Pelly ActiveThe Washington Capitals are betting on the idea that Devante Smith-Pelly can bounce back. Smith-Pelly had a lot of upside at one point, but the 25-year-old hasn't developed as hoped and ended up with just four goals and nine points in 53 games with New Jersey las season. The Devils decided to buy out the final season of his two-year, $2.6 million contract, which led to Washington signing him to a two-way contract. "I think there's some untapped potential," Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said to reporters in a conference call Monday. "I think maybe conditioning played a factor in some of it. I think we're going to work with him to see if we can get a little bit of that back and create a player that we can use." It's an awfully low-risk gamble for Washington and one that might pay off nicely. Jul 9 |
| 5 | Riley Barber ActiveRiley Barber has been assigned to Hershey of the AHL. He made his third appearance of the season with the Capitals on Tuesday night. The 23-year-old has 12 points in 19 games with Hershey this year. Mar 1 |
| D | 1 | John Carlson ActiveJohn Carlson will indeed return to action in Game 1 against Toronto on Thursday. He'll pair back with Karl Alzner as well. Carlson posted nine goals and 37 points in 72 games this season. Apr 13 |
| 2 | Matt Niskanen ActiveMatt Niskanen insisted that there was no intent to injure when he cross-checked Sidney Crosby in the back of the head during Monday's contest. Niskanen received a five-minute major and game misconduct while Crosby was unable to continue playing. "It wasn’t intentional," Niskanen said. "I’ve seen the replay. In super slowmo, it looks really bad. I caught him high. He’s coming across trying to score. As he’s doing that, he’s getting lower and lower. And when it’s happening that fast, you know, my stick and his head collided. I wasn’t extending, trying to hit him in the head." Niskanen added that he wasn't trying to crosscheck Crosby with "a serious amount of force." Niskanen won't be suspended, so he's expected to be in the lineup for Game 4. May 2 |
| 3 | Dmitry Orlov ActiveDmitry Orlov has inked a six-year, $30.6 million contract extension with the Washington Capitals. Orlov was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1. He had six goals and 33 points in 82 games while averaging 19:32 minutes last season. He'll celebrate his 26th birthday in July so he might not have much upside left, but if all he does is maintain his current level then he'll look pretty reasonable with his $5.1 million annual cap hit. Jun 30 |
| 4 | Brooks Orpik ActiveBrooks Orpik is probable for Tuesday's match versus Calgary. He received some maintenance Monday and didn't skate on Monday after he was banged up on Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mar 20 |
| 5 | Taylor Chorney ActiveTaylor Chorney will be a healthy scratch in Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Chorney played in just 18 games during the regular season and he piled up one goal and four assists. He hasn't played in a playoff game in 2017. Paul Carey and Chandler Stephenson will also watch from the press box. Apr 27 |
| 6 | Christian Djoos ActiveHershey coach Troy Mann feels Christian Djoos can make the jump to the NHL this campaign. "I think that Djoos is a perfect candidate when you start looking at the [openings on] defense," Mann said. "No. 1, he's a great puck mover. You've really got to come to a hockey game and watch him from up top to appreciate his skill set, and his ability to break pucks out. I think the NHL in the last couple of years has certainly gone in a different direction. I don't think you can have too many puck movers on your team, and certainly that's something he can do." Mann added that Djoos' lack of size is unlikely to be an issue because of the defenseman's high hockey IQ and his ability to avoid the forecheck. Djoos amassed 13 goals and 45 assists in 66 minor-league games last season. He doesn't have any NHL experience yet, but that could change in 2017-18. Jul 28 |
| 7 | Madison Bowey ActiveMadison Bowey suffered an undisclosed upper-body injury in the first period of Saturday's preseason game versus the New York Islanders. He will not return to the game and we'll keep you posted when we learn more. Bowey played for the AHL Hershey Bears last year. In 70 games, he scored four goals with 25 assists. Oct 1 |
| 8 | Lucas Johansen ActiveWashington GM Brian MacLellan is confident that Lucas Johansen will be a strong contributor at the NHL level. "I really like Lucas Johansen, and whether it's now or six months from now or a year from now, I think he's going to be a factor," MacLellan said. There is a chance he could earn a roster spot with the Capitals out of training camp. If Johansen doesn't make the team then he could be one of the first call-ups in 2017-18 if Washington needs a defenseman. Jul 26 |
| G | 1 | Braden Holtby ActiveThe Washington Capitals have protected 11 players in the expansion draft. They include Nicklas Backstrom, Andre Burakovsky, Tom Wilson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alex Ovechkin, Lars Eller, Marcus Johansson, Dmitry Orlov, John Carlson, Matt Niskanen and Braden Holtby. The Golden Knights will likely decide between Philipp Grubauer and Nate Schmidt as to who they will select from Washington. Jun 18 |
| 2 | Philipp Grubauer ActivePhilipp Grubauer has signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals. That's double Grubauer's cap hit from the previous two seasons. He posted a 2.04 GAA and .926 save percentage last season, but he was limited to 24 games due to the presence of Braden Holtby. With Holtby set to be the Capitals' starter for the foreseeable future, Grubauer is likely to eventually leave Washington either via free agency or a trade. For now though, the Capitals have a superb tandem. Jul 6 |