The Washington Capitals roster has been finalized for the 2023-24 season. Of the 19 players who appeared in Washington’s opening game of the 2022-23 season, 12 are still with the Capitals. The new lineup includes eight players aged 25 or younger. That’s a significant change from last season when the opening lineup only had two players that young.
However, the team is still the second-oldest in the NHL by average age. Here’s a look at who will likely be skating for the Capitals when they open their season against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are the only team in the league with a higher average age.
Washington Capitals Roster Highlights
Top Six
The top line will be Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and T.J. Oshie. All three have over a decade of NHL experience; they are by far the Capitals’ most veteran line. Their average age of 36.3 is nearly a decade older than that of any of the other three forward lines. Despite their age and the past absences of Oshie and Backstrom due to extended injuries, new head coach Spencer Carbery will task this trio with the team’s heaviest offensive expectations.
The second line features one of the Capitals players who was born after the year 2000: Connor McMichael. He spent the majority of last season with the Hershey Bears in the AHL, where he scored 39 points in 57 regular-season games. Two seasons ago, he played in 68 NHL games for the Capitals and contributed 18 points. He will be joined by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson. Kuznetsov will be the primary centre for the line, but McMichael has played most of his career at centre and Carbery intends to utilize him there eventually.
Bottom Six
In the bottom six, the Capitals have another three players aged 25 and younger: Aliaksei Protas (22), Beck Malenstyn (25), and Matthew Phillips (25). Protas and Phillips have swapped with each other on the third and fourth lines in the past week of practices. If Protas plays the second line, that line will have an average age of only 25. Sonny Milano and Dylan Strome, who both played their first seasons in Washington last year, are 27 and 26, respectively. Nic Dowd is the only member of the bottom six who is over the age of 30.
Defence
The defence has undergone more personnel change in the last 365 days. Two of the Capitals’ 2022-23 opening-night defensemen are on other teams, and two younger players have joined the squad. Trade acquisition Rasmus Sandin is the youngest of the group at 23. He is expected to pair with John Carlson, who is just over a decade his senior, as the Capitals’ primary defensive unit. The other newcomer is Lucas Johansen, who is 25 and has spent the last 6 seasons with the Hershey Bears. Alexander Alexeyev and Martin Fehervary, both born in 1999, are returning from last season. The three of Alexeyev, Fehervary, and Johansen are expected to play alongside Washington’s remaining veteran blueliners: either Nick Jensen or Trevor van Riemsdyk. In recent practices, Johansen has joined Jensen, with Fehervary beside van Riemsdyk, leaving Alexeyev, who is the youngest, as an extra.
The Washington Capitals shaved about 1.3 years off the roster’s average age between October 12, 2022, and today. They’ve also added four Calder Cup champions. Tonight will start the process to find out if those changes were enough to improve the Capitals’ fortunes. It should be an exciting 2023-24 season for the Washington Capitals roster.
Photo: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
