The Washington Capitals are making it clear they are buyers this summer.
After the trade deadline, when he added more future assets to the team’s coffers, general manager Chris Patrick believes the Capitals are in a great position to add to their roster. The Caps have one of the better groups of prospects in the NHL and valuable draft capital.
“I mean, I’m optimistic in that I think we’re in really the best spot we’ve been in as far as having the stuff to trade that a team might want,” Patrick said Monday. “We’ve got picks. We’ve got some good prospects. I mean, there’s obviously some prospects that we’re not going to move in these deals. So, from that perspective, our wallet’s full. If there’s an opportunity there, we’d like to jump on it.”
By trading John Carlson and Nic Dowd at the deadline, the Capitals netted a 2026 first-round pick, a 2029 second-round pick, and two 2027 third-round picks. They also have their own 2026 first-round pick, which is at worst the 16th overall selection.
Patrick reiterated that the team will again be on the hunt for a scoring forward to help bolster their offense, while also searching for help on the right side of their defense. The Capitals have specifically been looking for the right forward for nearly two years now, missing out on names like Nikolaj Ehlers and Artemi Panarin in either free agency or on the trade market.
On defense, the team currently has just two right-handed rearguards under contract for next season: Matt Roy and Dylan McIlrath. They will also have to factor in Rasmus Sandin‘s recovery from ACL surgery, as he had been playing on the right side at the end of the season but could miss the first few months of the 2026-27 campaign.
“For sure, we’ll explore everything, and we’ll just try to get the best player we can get for those positions and try to add in the offseason what we think fits with our team and what we need,” Patrick said. “We’re going to have some holes in the backend here to fill in on the right side, so we’ll be looking there as well.”
The Capitals don’t seem to necessarily want to make those additions before or even at the draft, with Patrick mentioning he’d be fine with using both first-round picks. However, he has previously stated that he’d like to get a sense of what Alex Ovechkin’s career plans are before heading into the draft, which may hint that the Caps will be wheeling and dealing before they get on the clock.
“Even if you don’t trade those picks, you’re getting two more young players into the fold that are potential assets in a future deal, or maybe make other prospects more expendable,” Patrick said.
Many around the league believe the trade market is expected to be highly competitive, as this year’s free agency class is among the weakest in recent memory. The Capitals’ top brass seem to agree with that evaluation, as president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan noted.
“I think teams have cap room now, so you’re able to sign your own players, especially if they’re good players,” MacLellan said. “If someone does get to free agency, I think they’re going to get paid well. And there might be a couple of trade opportunities, but I think there’s going to be a number of clubs that are looking to add that way. So, it’s going to be a competitive environment this offseason. You’re going to have to buck up if you want to sign or trade for a player.”
The NHL salary cap is set for another major increase from $95.5 million to $104 million. While that means the Capitals are set to have around $36.6 million in available space, many other teams will have around the same amount, or even more.
