In addition, the Capitals have nine players who are 6’4” or taller and 200-plus pounds: forwards Aliaksei Protas (6’6”, 250 lbs.), Ilya Protas (6’6”, 230 lbs.), Wilson (6’4”, 230 lbs.), Pierre-Luc Dubois (6’4”, 220 lbs.), Alex Tuch (6’4”, 225 lbs.) and Dylan Strome (6’4”, 200 lbs.), defensemen Vincent Desharnais (6’7”, 230 lbs.) and Dylan McIlrath (6’5”, 245 lbs.) and goaltender Logan Thompson (6’4”, 205 lbs.).
Ovechkin signed a one-year contract extension with the Capitals on July 2 to return for his 22nd NHL season. Ovechkin, who turned 41 on Sept. 17, captained the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018 and is the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. Ovechkin has recorded 1,687 points (929g, 758a) in 1,573 career games with Washington. In NHL history, Ovechkin ranks first in goals (929), power-play goals (331), game-winning goals (141), overtime goals (27), road goals (476), game-opening goals (154), game-tying goals (155), go-ahead goals (297), 40-goal seasons (14), 30-goal seasons (20) and tied for first in 50-goal seasons (9).
This upcoming season, Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby will join Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio, Stan Mikita and Steve Yzerman as the only players in NHL history to play 22 seasons with one franchise. Ovechkin will also surpass Walter Johnson (21 seasons with the Washington Senators: 1907-1927) as the longest-tenured athlete in the history of Washington, D.C. professional sports. The 2026-27 campaign will mark Ovechkin’s 18th season as captain, making him the third-longest tenured captain in NHL history (Crosby: 20 seasons; Yzerman: 19 seasons).
Last season, Ovechkin led the Capitals in goals (32) and points (64). It marked the 21st time in 21 seasons that Ovechkin led or co-led the team in goals. Ovechkin’s 32 goals were the third most by a player age 40 or older in NHL history (Gordie Howe: 44g in 1968-69; Johnny Bucyk: 36g in 1975-76). The Capitals were 18-4-2 (.792 point percentage) when Ovechkin scored and 32-10-3 (.744 point percentage) when he recorded a point last season.
Tom Wilson is entering his 14th season with the Capitals, making him Washington, D.C.’s second-longest tenured athlete, behind only Ovechkin (22 seasons). Wilson (30g-32a–62p in 72 GP) reached the 30-goal and 60-point marks for the second straight season in 2025-26 (2024-25: 33g-32a–65p in 81 GP). He became the first Capital, besides Ovechkin, to record consecutive 30-goal seasons since Alex Semin in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Last season, Wilson led Capitals forwards in ice time per game (19:28) and ranked first on the team in hits (179) and second in goals, points and power-play goals (7). The 6’4”, 230-pound forward was the only player in the NHL last season with at least 30 goals and 175-plus hits.
In a two-day span in late June, the Capitals acquired forwards Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch, both of whom are three-time 30-goal scorers. Kyrou and Tuch are two of 33 NHL players with at least three 30-goal seasons since 2022-23. Kyrou, 28, reached the 30-goal mark in three straight seasons with St. Louis from 2022-23 to 2024-25, including a career-high 37 goals in 2022-23. Over his last five seasons with St. Louis, Kyrou ranked first on the Blues in goals (149), power-play goals (35), even-strength goals (114), shots (1,123) and games played (389), second in points (331) and power-play points (94) and third in assists (182).
Tuch, 30, is coming off his second straight 30-goal season after scoring 33 goals and recording 66 points in 79 games with Buffalo in 2025-26. The 6’4”, 225-pound forward ranked second on the Sabres in goals, third in points and fourth in assists (33). In addition, Tuch posted a career-high +24 plus-minus rating and led Buffalo in five-on-five points (47). Tuch has scored 33 or more goals in three of the last four seasons, including a career-high 36 goals in 2024-25 and 2022-23. Tuch is signed for the next eight seasons.
Logan Thompson was one of the NHL’s best goaltenders last season, posting a 31-21-6 record with a 2.44 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage and four shutouts in 58 games played. Thompson, who was named to the NHL’s Second All-Star Team, ranked tied for first in the NHL in save percentage and third in goals-against average among goaltenders with at least 50 games played. In addition, Thompson led all goaltenders in goals saved above expected (29.3), per MoneyPuck.com.
Defenseman Jakob Chychrun is entering his third season with Washington. During the 2025-26 season, Chychrun (26g-34a–60p in 80 GP) established career highs in goals, assists and points. Chychrun’s 26 goals led NHL defensemen, while his eight game-winning goals tied the League record for the most by a defenseman in a single season. Chychrun led Washington in ice time per game (23:20) and power-play goals (8), tied for first in plus-minus (+20), and ranked second in shots (221) and third in goals and points. The Capitals outscored the opposition 83-47 at five-on-five last season with Chychrun on the ice. Chychrun’s 63.9 goals for percentage at five-on-five was the highest among NHL defensemen (min. 1,300 TOI).
Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif each signed eight-year contract extensions with the Capitals on Sept. 15, keeping the young forwards in D.C. through the 2034-35 season. Leonard, 21, recorded 45 points (20g, 25a) in 75 games during his rookie season with the Capitals in 2025-26. Leonard became the eighth rookie in franchise history to record a 20-goal season and the first since Alex Ovechkin in 2005-06 (52g). Leonard’s 45 points were also the most by a Capitals rookie since Nicklas Backstrom in 2007-08 (69p). The 6’1”, 205-pound forward ranked third among NHL rookies in power-play points (14) and five-on-five goals (16) and fifth in goals, assists and points.
Sourdif, 24, recorded 35 points (15g, 20a) in 78 games during his first full NHL season in 2025-26. The Richmond, British Columbia native ranked third among NHL rookies in plus-minus rating (+17), tied for eighth in points and tied for 11th in goals. From Dec. 31 through the end of the regular season, Sourdif collected 26 points (12g, 14a) in 40 games. Sourdif’s 12 goals over that span ranked third on the Capitals and tied for fourth among all rookies. The Capitals outscored the opposition 47-28 at five-on-five last season with Sourdif on the ice. Sourdif’s 62.7 goals for percentage at five-on-five led Washington forwards and ranked second on the team.
Following Leonard and Sourdif’s extensions, the Capitals now have 10 players age 29 or younger signed for at least the next three seasons.
