The Washington Capitals have filled their leadership void after John Carlson and Nic Dowd were dealt ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline this week.
Dylan Strome, on his 29th birthday, served as the team’s second alternate captain against the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon.
Strome joins Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson in the team’s leadership group, the first likely permanent change since Wilson assumed the duties left by Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie last year.
Carlson had been an alternate captain since the 2019-20 campaign, and Dowd has spent some time with the “A” since last season, when any of the main three have been unable to dress for games.
Strome’s new role comes just a day after head coach Spencer Carbery revealed that he hadn’t made a “definitive decision” on who would take up the duties left by Carlson. Carbery spoke more about the leadership vacuum that Strome will now be relied on to fill ahead of puck drop in Boston.
“I don’t think you do that overnight,” Carbery said. “I don’t think it’s like, ‘Now you become Nick Dowd, and you become John Carlson.’ They were big, big personalities in our locker room. From the lunchroom to the bus to in the locker room talking in between periods. Those two guys were big pieces of our locker room.
“Is someone going to assume that role today? No, but over time, as guys grow into leadership roles and as they feel a little bit more comfortable and understand that they have to fill that void, the Matt Roys of the world, Jakob Chychruns of the world, on the back end of filling those voids, and Dylan Strome. All those guys take a little piece of that leadership and those voices in the locker room.”
Strome has not regularly worn a letter on his jersey since his junior days in the OHL with the Erie Otters. He was an alternate captain for Erie during the 2014-15 season. He then took over the captaincy from Connor McDavid the next season when McDavid played his rookie year for the Edmonton Oilers.
“It’s just a hit to the locker room for sure,” Strome said Friday. “We’ve got a lot of good leaders in here and guys that have been around a long time and guys that know how to manage these situations.”
After leading the Capitals with 82 points (29g, 53a) last year, Strome has had a quieter 2025-26 campaign, notching just 49 points (16g, 33a) through 61 games coming into Saturday’s contest. He ranks tied for second on the team in overall scoring with Wilson and Jakob Chychrun, behind just Ovechkin (50).
Strome is one of just five current Capitals forwards with a contract through the 2027-28 season, so his new role should be one that lasts. Especially since Ovechkin has not committed to playing past the end of this season, with Wilson expected to take the mantle from him as the next Caps captain.
