The Washington Capitals are coming off a rollercoaster season in 2025-26. While they did not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they were in the fight until the very end and were narrowly beaten out by the Philadelphia Flyers. The season was full of both ups and downs, and ultimately concluded more quickly than the team would have liked. Let’s look at some highs and lows for the team’s season and reflect on games past.
High: Rookie Talent
Both Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif had impressive rookie seasons. Leonard, 21, posted 45 points in 75 games and finished with a 20-goal season. He was the first rookie with a 20-goal campaign since Alex Ovechkin in 2005-06, and the fourth among the franchise, joining Ovechkin, Bobby Carpenter, and Chris Valentine. He had seven multi-point outings this season, including a four-point night against the San Jose Sharks in early December.
His rookie partner, Sourdif, surprised fans with his stellar performance. The 24-year-old came to the Capitals with four games of NHL experience and a handful of seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) and quickly proved that he belongs at the national level by totaling 35 points in 78 games. His most impressive showing came against the visiting Anaheim Ducks, where Sourdif tallied five points, including a hat trick.
He became the first Capitals rookie to score a hat trick since Ovechkin, who also did so against the Ducks. Sourdif also showed off his physicality by engaging in his first NHL tilt against Drake Batherson, earning major stick taps and congratulations from his teammates. He also recorded two points in the same game. Sourdif and Leonard are just the third pair of franchise rookies to each score at least 15 goals, and they’re quickly shaping up to become valuable parts of the team’s future core.
Low: The Power Play
The team’s power play was its biggest kryptonite this season. The inability to score with the man advantage often kept the Capitals from taking or holding leads and securing much-needed wins. Before the Winter Olympic break, the team’s power-play percentage ranked at or near the bottom of the league. Even with a post-break push and more success in the latter portion of the season, the team still finished ranked 25th overall in power-play efficacy at just 17.8%.
Kirk Muller primarily coached the power play. However, head coach Spencer Carbery blamed the coaching staff as a whole, saying, “We’re all involved in it. I’m not going to break down the specifics of who handles each and every responsibility. Kirk runs our power play, does a great job. It’s not a lack of effort, and not a lack of him trying to turn over every rock and find solutions to what’s going on. We all contribute, and we all help where we see fit.” However, it would not be surprising to see a coaching staff change this offseason.
High: Offensive Defensemen
Many of the team’s successes rested on their defensemen’s shoulders. Where some forwards dropped in offensive production this season, a handful of defenders stepped up and showcased true two-way play. The most successful among them was Jakob Chychrun, who finished with a 60-point showing, including 26 goals. He was the third-highest scorer on the team, behind only Ovechkin and Tom Wilson.
Martin Fehervary and Rasmus Sandin each had impressive offensive seasons, as well: Fehervary totaled 27 points, and Sandin tallied 29, with each player scoring five goals. League-wide, the Capitals finished third overall in blue line offensive production with 55 goals and 212 points from defensemen. Should the forward core be able to get back on track this offseason, the combination of high-scoring players could be a huge asset to a postseason run in 2026-27.
Low: The Trade Deadline
The Capitals made surprising trade deadline moves this season, sending fourth-line forward Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for minor-league goaltender Jesper Vikman, a 2027 third-round pick, and a 2029 second-round pick. Dowd was a long-time Capital who was extremely successful in the faceoff dot and brought physicality to the forward group. He was also a “feel-good” guy in the locker room and well-loved by fans.
The team also made a blockbuster move by sending lifelong Capitals defenseman John Carlson to the Ducks for a conditional first-round pick in either the 2026 or 2027 NHL Entry Draft and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Carlson held multiple records among franchise defensemen and had been a well-loved veteran leader for numerous seasons.
As far as acquisitions, the team added Timothy Lilejgren and David Kampf, each for a pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. On paper, these two filled the positional holes left by the Dowd and Carlson’s departure, but in practice, they fell short. Kampf played just two games with the team, mainly due to visa issues, and did not earn a point. Liljegren also failed to tally any points in his four games.
Perhaps the acquired picks will turn out to be superstars one day, but the deadline moves raised eyebrows and left fans disappointed in the meantime. Both Dowd and Carlson are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with their respective new teams.
High: Cole Hutson and Ilya Protas
The season ended on a high note when young talents Cole Hutson and Ilya Protas were brought into the lineup. Fans were buzzing with excitement over the two skaters joining the squad, and they did not disappoint. Hutson scored in his NHL debut on March 18 and went on to total 10 points in 14 games, including two multi-point performances.
Protas has been a skilled player for the AHL’s Hershey Bears, so the team was eager to give him a shot. He debuted on April 8, playing on a line alongside his brother, Aliaksei Protas, and Wilson. The three were an absolutely massive line, combining at 673 pounds. Ilya registered a point in his debut and finished the season with four points in four games. These performances gave fans a glimpse into what the next era of the team may look like and built excitement for a new forward core.
Low: Missing the Playoffs
If the Capitals’ playoff chances throughout the season could be summed up in a few words, it would be “false hope”. It felt as if the team was constantly on the edge of clinching the postseason, just to fall right off again. In the first half of the season, they were first in the Metropolitan Division. At some points, they had completely fallen out of contention.
At the tail end of the season, the Capitals had the slightest bit of hope that the playoffs were in reach. They were neck-and-neck for third place in the division alongside the Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets, but missed the berth by just a few points. It felt especially disappointing to miss the postseason in what could have been Ovechkin’s final season. His future status is unclear as yet, but we may have seen the last of playoff-caliber Ovi.
The team will need to retool and reset this offseason. Perhaps general manager Chris Patrick and crew will look to shape the team around the exciting young core that is building with Leonard, Sourdif, Hutson, and Ilya Protas. With only two members of the Stanley Cup-winning squad remaining, it’s time for a new era of the Washington Capitals. It’s also time to learn from this season, look forward to what’s next, and work toward future successes.
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