| Pos | Role | Name |
| C | 1 | Nicklas Backstrom  ActiveNicklas Backstrom still hasn't gotten over Washington's Game 7 loss to Pittsburgh in the second round of the playoffs. The Caps found themselves down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series against the rivals, but they managed to fight back to tie the series at three. Unfortunately, things didn't end well for them in that do-or-die game. "I think that when it comes to the playoffs it shouldn't be about individuals," Backstrom said. "It should be about the team and how we lose as a team. How we acted in Game 7, I think that's telling everything. They absolutely outplayed us in Game 7 at home. That shouldn't be the case." Aug 14 |
| 2 | Evgeny Kuznetsov ActiveEvgeny Kuznetsov doesn't agree with people who think the Capitals are a bad team. Washington has won back-to-back Presidents' Trophies, but they've failed to reach the conference final in the Alex Ovechkin era. "I don't like when people say we're a bad team right now," Kuznetsov said. "That's bull to me. It's not about the names. It's about the guys when they come together." The Capitals have lost some key players like Marcus Johansson, Justin Williams and Nate Schmidt, but they also managed to re-sign Kuznetsov to an eight-year, $62.4 million deal. They should remain one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and in the entire NHL. Aug 15 |
| 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 ActiveAlex Ovechkin leads the NHL in shots on goal over the last five seasons with 1712. Ovechkin has scored 32 (lockout) 51, 53, 50 and 33 goals during those five seasons. Tyler Seguin is second in shots on goal over the last five years, and he's hit the net 1314 times, which is almost 400 times less than Ovechkin. Max Pacioretty (1306), Phil Kessel (1249) and Brent Burns (1244) round out the top five. Aug 20 |
| 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 could become the first Australian to play in an NHL game this season. Walker has a chance to claim a roster spot out of training camp on the fourth line. He had 11 goals and 23 points in 58 games with the Hershey Bears of the AHL last year. Walker also plays with an edge and described himself as a "pest." Jul 30 |
| 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 could be ready for the jump to the NHL in 2017-18. "He looks like an NHLer," Hershey coach Troy Mann said. "He's got that demeanor out there. He has that size and the physical tools to play at the NHL level. Certainly his consistency is something we've worked on the last two seasons." Bowey skated in just 34 games for the Bears last season, as he missed a large chunk of the year because of a lacerated ankle tendon, but he played well when he was healthy. The 22-year-old blueliner will compete with Christian Djoos, Aaron Ness, Tyler Lewington and Lucas Johansen for a roster spot at training camp. Jul 30 |
| 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 |