ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals are officially ready to kick off their 2026-27 campaign, with the opening night roster set in stone.
Washington had trimmed its roster down to 24 players on Sunday, and on Monday designated defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who has been skating on his own while recovering from ACL surgery in April, as injured non-roster, giving them their 23-man roster to open the season.
Captain Alex Ovechkin leads the group as he enters his 22nd NHL season, and Tom Wilson will wear one of the "A's" as an alternate captain. The team's additional alternates will be announced on Wednesday.
Here is the full opening night roster:
Forwards: Anthony Beauvillier, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Ethen Frank, Boone Jenner, Jordan Kyrou, Ryan Leonard, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Alex Ovechkin, Aliaksei Protas, Ilya Protas, Justin Sourdif, Dylan Strome, Alex Tuch, Tom Wilson
Defensemen: Jakob Chychrun, Vincent Desharnais, Martin Fehervary, Cole Hutson, Timothy Liljegren, Dylan McIlrath, Matt Roy, Rasmus Sandin (injured non-roster)
Goaltenders: Charlie Lindgren, Logan Thompson
Washington's group features a mix of veterans and rising young stars, including Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif, who signed eight-year extensions following impressive respective rookie campaigns.
D.C. will also welcome a pair of freshmen once again this season as Ilya Protas and Cole Hutson navigate their first full seasons in the NHL. Ivan Miroshnichenko does not classify as a rookie, but the 22-year-old is also making the full-time jump to the big club this season after years developing with the AHL's Hershey Bears.
The Capitals also have a number of new names on board after adding Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, Boone Jenner and Vincent Desharnais in the offseason.
With those new additions, the team now has a total of 11 players that have tallied at least one 20-goal season in their careers, and nine of their players on the roster are at least 6-foot-4.
Washington will kick off the regular season on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
