TheHockeyNews.com has been ranking the off-season of the 32 NHL teams, and we're finally at the No. 1 spot in our list. That honor goes to the Washington Capitals, who've made a slew of huge moves this summer.
Earlier this summer, TheHockeyNews.com’s team of writers and editors broke bread to hash out the off-seasons of every NHL team.
Some franchises, like the Detroit Red Wings, had absolutely dreadful summers. While our team liked the off-seasons of organizations like the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues, one team stood out above and beyond any other team in an outstanding way.
That team is the Washington Capitals.
The Capitals are transitioning from the Alexander Ovechkin era. Rather than going through an extensive rebuild, the Caps chose to add star talent and push for contention. It’s our collective opinion that GM Chris Patrick hit a bunch of home runs this summer
Our list’s rankings criteria includes roster departures and arrivals, GM and coaching changes, as well as contract extensions.
Let’s break down the Capitals' changes from the off-season and discuss where their competitive future stands.
Arrivals:
Alex Tuch (RW), Jordan Kyrou (RW), Boone Jenner (C), Vincent Desharnais (D), Justin Holl (D)
Some teams in the league could barely muster a single move of consequence this summer, but Patrick took his abundance of salary cap space this and spent all but $75,000 of it.
First, landing Alex Tuch in a sign-and-trade with the Buffalo Sabres instantly gave the Capitals a premier power forward who scored at least 33 goals in three of the past four seasons.
In addition, the Capitals landed sniper Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for center Connor McMichael, a first-round pick, and prospect Milton Gastrin. Kyrou had a down year in 2025-26, posting only 18 goals and 46 points in 72 games. But that season could prove to be an aberration, as Kyrou scored at least 30 goals in the three previous seasons.
Finally, the other major addition up front is longtime Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner. The 33-year-old center had just 13 goals and 38 points in 67 games last year, but as a third-line center option, he fits in rather well with the Capitals.
Patrick also improved his team’s defensive depth, with former Sharks blueliner Vincent Desharnais and former Red Wings D-man Justin Holl providing some experience on the back end.
But the Capitals’ vastly-improved group of forwards is the reason why they’re No. 1 on our list. Washington now has three solid centers and depth on the wing, which they didn’t have when the off-season began.
Departures:
Connor McMichael (C), Hendrix Lapierre (LW), Trevor van Riemsdyk (D), Brandon Duhaime (LW), David Kampf (C), Sonny Milano (LW)
We’re going to make this section short-and-sweet. With due respect to the players who have left the Capitals this summer, the changes made largely involved fringe players who haven’t left a gaping hole in the roster now that they’re gone.
Connor McMichael is the best player of the bunch, but even then, his numbers fell from 26 goals and 57 points in 82 games in 2024-25 to only 14 goals and 46 points in 78 games last year.
McMichael is only 25 years old, so he may be able to grow his game in St. Louis. But the Caps had to give up something of significance to acquire Kyrou, and still came out of that deal with a stronger collection of forwards.
Otherwise, the five players we’ve listed above are fringe players at best. In the case of David Kampf and Sonny Milano, some players Washington has lost may not even be in the league this coming year.
Patrick has kept his core players and replaced his fringe assets with experienced help. How can you not categorize that as a massive win for the franchise?
The Bottom Line:
The Capitals missed out on a playoff berth last season by only three points. They were agonizingly close to punching their ticket to the post-season, and Patrick has drastically improved his roster by using the full financial might of the organization.
Some teams have internal budgets preventing them from spending to the cap ceiling, but Washington clearly isn’t one of those teams. Capitals owner Ted Leonsis’ competitive spirit is robust enough that he’s fine paying out big salaries if it results in playoff hockey in April.
In the relatively-weak Metropolitan Division, the defending-champion Carolina Hurricanes are clearly the best team. But there’s a very real opportunity for this reconstructed Capitals team to prove themselves as worthy challengers for home-ice advantage in the 2027 playoffs.
Patrick has given his players the best chance at another Stanley Cup-winning year they could hope to have, and after all the moves made by all the NHL teams this summer, the Caps are the rightful No. 1 team on our list.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
