| Pos | Role | Name |
| C | 1 | Nicklas Backstrom  ActiveNicklas Backstrom notched a goal and an assist in Friday's 4-0 blanking of Chicago. The playmaking center has 18 goals on the year and he's scored five times in his past seven outings. Backstrom has 79 points in 81 games this season. Apr 12 |
| 2 | Evgeny Kuznetsov ActiveCapitals GM Brian MacLellan said the team may give Evgeny Kuznetsov a shot at being the team's No. 2 center next season. "We're going to have to develop one of our young guys to play second-line center," he said. "I think it's hard to add in free agency." Mikhail Grabovski can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but Washington is looking into re-signing him. Kuznetsov notched three goals and nine points in 17 games with the Caps in 2013-14 after he joined the club in March. Jun 16 |
| 3 | Brooks Laich  I.L.Brooks Laich's agent, Roly Thompson, would be surprised if his client gets bought out. "I'll be honest with you, I have not heard one whisper," Thompson said. "This is not because I represent Brooks, it’s just a general statement: He is the glue of the team." Laich has been sidetracked due to groin issues in recent years and would need to pass a physical in order to be bought out. Because the Capitals still have an unused compliance buyout, they could get his entire $4.5 million annual cap hit if they pursued that option. He had just 15 points in 51 contests in 2013-14. Jun 11 |
| 4 | Jay Beagle ActiveJay Beagle scored a pair of goals in Friday's 4-0 win over Chicago. It marked the first two-goal game of his career in his 191st NHL regular season contest. Beagle has four goals and nine points, while averaging 11:09 of ice time, in 61 matches this year. Apr 12 |
| 5 | Kris Newbury ActiveKris Newbury has agreed to a one-year, two-way deal with the Washington Capitals. Newbury had 18 goals, 49 points, and 207 penalty minutes in 63 AHL games in 2013-14. As valuable as he is in the minors though, he has never been able to establish himself in the NHL level. The 32-year-old is a nice depth signing for the Capitals, but he's not expected to start the season as a member of their NHL roster. Jul 4 |
| LW | 1 | Marcus Johansson ActiveMarcus Johansson won't play Sunday because of an "upper-body injury." He left Friday's contest against Chicago during the second period after he was hit on the left hand with a shot from Nicklas Backstrom on a Capitals' power play. Johansson wasn't able to return. His season ends with him registering eight goals and 44 points in 80 matches. Apr 12 |
| 2 | Joel Ward ActiveJoel Ward figures the Washington Capitals will need to spend more time studying away from the ice next season since Barry Trotz has taken over as their coach. "On ice, I expect us to be a lot more detailed, I think," Ward told CSN Washington on Saturday. "You'll get a sense of that right away; there might be some homework at times."
Ward expects those assignments will pay off. The forward played his first full NHL season under Trotz with the Nashville Predators in 2008-09. The 35 points (17 goals) Ward scored that season were his career high until he put up 49 (24 goals) for the Capitals last season. Trotz was hired May 26 to replace Adam Oates after Washington failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007. Jul 27 |
| 3 | Jason Chimera ActiveJason Chimera will serve as an alternate captain for Canada at the World Hockey Championship. He registered 15 goals and 42 points in 82 games with Washington this past season. The tournament begins on Friday when Canada plays France. May 8 |
| 4 | Aaron Volpatti ActiveAaron Volpatti (upper body) has been activated from the long-term injured reserve list. Volpatti is taking part in Washington's pregame warmups, so he will probably play Saturday. He has been sidelined for about two months. Apr 5 |
| RW | 1 | Alex Ovechkin ActiveAlex Ovechkin is upbeat after the Capitals were able to sign defensemen Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen. "That our team signed such guys [as Niskanen and Orpik] – that's a very strong move," Ovechkin said. "Orpik, for example, is a very physical defenseman. If he plays on your team – it’s a positive for you. But the results will be at the end of the season, it hasn't even started yet. Who knows what other changes are coming to the team– maybe there will be a trade or something else." Not everything that happened for the Capitals this summer was a positive in Ovechkin's eyes. He had a close relationship with Mikhail Grabovski and he's said to see him go. Jul 7 |
| 2 | Troy Brouwer ActiveTroy Brouwer scored a pair of goals for the Capitals as part of a 5-2 win over Carolina Thursday night. The two tallies give him 25 on the season, good for a career-best and the first time he has reached the quarter-century mark in his career. Eric Fehr and Jason Chimera also enjoyed good nights with a goal and two assists apiece while Joel Ward also counted in the victory. Apr 10 |
| 3 | Eric Fehr ActiveEric Fehr had a goal and two assists in Washington's 5-2 win on Thursday. It was Fehr's first three-point game of the season. He has 13 goals and 31 points in 71 games in 2013-14. Apr 11 |
| 4 | Ryan Stoa ActiveRyan Stoa's agent, Neil Sheehy, has denied an earlier report that his client has agreed to play in the KHL next season. "He's not signed," Sheehy said. "There's nothing to it." Stoa, who can become an unrestricted free agent in July, would like to re-sign with the Capitals, but negotiations are on hold for the NHL Draft. Jun 26 |
| 5 | Tom Wilson ActiveTom Wilson isn't projected to fully recover from his ankle injury until after the start of the Capitals' training camp. Capitals coach Barry Trotz was previously optimistic about Wilson's chances of being ready for the start of camp. Wilson's agent said that his client is still expected to be fine before the end of the preseason though. He suffered the injury during the offseason in a "fall," but other than that the Capitals are being vague on what caused it. Jul 9 |
| D | 1 | Matt Niskanen ActivePart of the reason Matt Niskanen decided to sign a seven-year, $40.25 million contract with the Capitals was the presence of head coach Barry Trotz. Trotz is very well-respected in hockey circles after the success he managed to achieve during his tenure in Nashville and this was very much part of Niskanen's thought process. "I heard nothing but great things about Barry Trotz and the way things are going there," Niskanen said after signing with the club. In addition, both Brooks Orpik and newly-signed backup goaltender Justin Peters admitted they were swayed by a conversation they had with Trotz before signing in Washington as free agents. Jul 6 |
| 2 | John Carlson ActiveNew Washington coach Barry Trotz wants to see more consistency from his defensemen when he takes over the club. "We have to get some consistency on the back end, and when I say the back end, I mean our whole defensive five-on-five game," he said. "There's got to be a consistency factor on the back end. We've got some really good people in [John] Carlson and [Karl] Alzner and [Dmitry] Orlov. That group has to be a little more consistent, especially around the net, the small-area game." He wants to emphasize better puck management and making good decisions to get into the offensive zone. John Carlson was a workhorse for Adam Oates in 2013-14 and it will be interesting to see what new tricks he learns under Trotz. May 31 |
| 3 | Mike Green ActiveWashington is still committed to Mike Green after adding a pair of defenseman in free agency on Tuesday. "He's a good player," GM Brian MacLellan said. "He had a little bit of struggles with injuries last year. He had an okay year. But we're hoping to get him back on track, yes." The Capitals brought in former Pittsburgh blueliners Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen on high profile contracts, while Green carries a $6,083,333 cap hit on the final year of his deal. His name came up as a possible trade candidate, but that doesn't appear to be in the cards for the Capitals. Jul 3 |
| 4 | Karl Alzner ActiveKarl Alzner is excited for the 2014-15 campaign after the Capitals signed defensemen Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik this summer. "I'm fired up about it," Alzner said when asked about the upgrade on the blue line. "I think we have, on paper right now, one of the deepest blue lines, so I'm happy about that. You know that you have to pay players to get them sometimes and we're happy, I'm happy, for all the guys whenever they can get a good paycheck and that's great. So if we're going to have to pay guys numbers that other people don't necessarily agree with and we want that player and need that player, then it doesn't matter to us - you've just got to get them." Well, obviously it's not that simple in a cap-based league, but regardless, the Capitals defense certainly has been upgraded this summer. As for Alzner in particular, he got next to no power-play ice time last season and that certainly won't change now that Niskanen has joined the team. Jul 17 |
| 5 | Dmitry Orlov  SidelinedDmitry Orlov (wrist) is slated to be ready by early October. He underwent surgery on May 22 to repair a broken left wrist after he was injured while playing in the 2014 IIHF World Championships. Orlov may be able to participate in some preseason games at the end of September if his recovery goes well. Jun 13 |
| 6 | Brooks Orpik ActiveBrooks Orpik is projected to be paired with John Carlson or Mike Green in Washington. He has shown signs of slowing down, so it was surprising to see the Capitals grant him a five-year deal worth a total of $27.5 million. Washington targeted him as a player they needed, so they were willing to outspend the competition to land him. Jul 2 |
| 7 | John Erskine ActiveJohn Erskine (upper body) returned to action on Saturday March 29. Erskine missed one game as the Capitals were concerned he may have had a concussion but he passed all the baseline tests. He played 13:51 minutes and picked up an assist to give him four points including one goal in 36 games. Mar 30 |
| 8 | Jack Hillen ActiveJack Hillen (head) will be a "game-time decision" on Tuesday, according to Capitals coach Adam Oates. Hillen has missed two straight games. He has an assist in 13 contests this season. Apr 1 |
| G | 1 | Braden Holtby ActiveBy not signing veteran free agents Martin Brodeur or Tomas Vokoun, and by signing Justin Peters as a backup goalie, the Washington Capitals made it clear that they are sticking with Braden Holtby as their main man in net. "We want Holtby to be our guy and we want him to be supported by a good backup," Caps general manager Brian MacLellan said after signing Peters to a two-year, $1.9 million contract. "Peters is a good backup in our mind and he has some upside, too. He’s 28 years old, he’s still a young guy. He’s a good teammate, he gets along with the No. 1 guys he’s played with, so we thought it was a match that way. I mean, if you bring in an older, experienced guy it’s going to cost us more money and it might have been a little more pressure on Holtby. We wanted to send a message to Holtby that he’s our No. 1 guy." Holtby had a career-worst .915 save percentage and 2.85 goals-against average last season, which makes next season a huge one considering Holtby is entering the final season of a two-year, $3.7 million contract. Jul 6 |
| 2 | Justin Peters ActiveThe Capitals like Justin Peters' upside, so they decided to sign him rather than seek a goaltender with a proven track record. "He's still a young guy," GM Brian MacLellan said. "He's a good teammate, he gets along with the number one guys he's played with. So we thought it was a match that way. If you bring in an older, experienced guy, it's going to cost you more money, it was going to cost us more money, and it might have been a little more pressure on Holtby. We wanted to send a message to Holtby that he was our number one guy." It sounds like Peters will compete for the team's backup position with Philipp Grubauer at training camp. Jul 2 |