The Capitals forward had 46 points in 78 games.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — If Connor McMichael got just one word to describe the 2025-26 season with the Washington Capitals, he'd sum it up as "weird."
After all, the last season had been something of the perfect season, one where he hit career highs while the Capitals dominated atop the Eastern Conference. This year, however, had other plans.
"Right from the start, it felt like guys were going down... it was disappointing," McMichael said. "It felt like it was a frustrating year for most of the guys on the team, and saying goodbye to guys like John (Carlson) and (Nic) Dowd are definitely stung as well... there's definitely parts of the year you look back on, and it feels like we let it slip away a little bit."
To open the season, McMichael struggled to get back to the level he was playing at just a season prior. He'd gotten to spend some time playing center, but ultimately, moved back to the wing, where he proved to be a stronger fit.
Through the first 59 games, the 25-year-old couldn't find consistency, and totalled eight goals and 23 assists for 31 points, a far cry from the career-high 20-goal, 57-point season he'd had a year before.
"There's disappointing parts of the year, especially early for me, when the team started losing games and I wasn't performing how I wanted to. It's a tough feeling, when you feel like you're letting guys down," McMichael said.
Then, following the trade deadline, McMichael was able to kick things into higher gear with the team needing to make a major push if it wanted a chance at the playoffs.
In the final 19 games of the season, the Ontario native led Washington in scoring with 15 points (six goals, nine assists) and felt ultimately, he was playing his style again.
"I picked it up and got back to my game and how I wanted to play," McMichael said, adding, "I've always prided myself when the games get harder, games get more important. I like to say I step up and try to play my best, and I thought I did that."
McMichael's play helped fuel the Capitals to a 12-5-2 record down the final stretch, and he finished the year with 46 points in 78 games.
Now, the next step is pondering his future with the team, as he becomes a restricted free agent this summer.
McMichael had some talks with management over the course of the season, though nothing came to fruition, and those talks stopped when the team made its final push for the playoffs. He's confident now those talks will resume.
"I'm sure we'll sort it out here soon," McMichael said.
Though he and Washington fell just short of a playoff spot, McMichael is confident that this year is one that the team can not only learn from, but build on.
"We're never going to give up, and I think we showed that in the last little stretch there that when people were doubting us, we kind of started to get to our game and performed at the best of our abilities," McMichael said.
"Just got to get off on the right foot, and I think we all realize how important every single game is and every single point matters."