The Washington Capitals appear to have their four centers penciled in to start the 2026-27 season, and Ilya Protas is one of them.
Capitals general manager Chris Patrick spoke Sunday about how he views Protas’s role with the club as the 19-year-old forward heads into what could be his first full NHL season. Protas made his NHL debut this past April and put up four points (1g, 3a) in four total games for the Caps at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
“Yeah, I think based on his body work there at the end of the season, I am going to pencil him in, in my head,” Patrick said. “I think he showed that he can definitely play at this level, at a high level. So, I think, for me, at least to start, I’m going to assume he’s going to be part of our center ice group.”
With Protas included in that group, the four pivots set to start down the middle in a majorly revamped Capitals forward group are the young Belarusian, Dylan Strome, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Justin Sourdif. The last name in that group, Sourdif, played both wing and center for the Caps last season, although he ended the year as a regular centerman.
While head coach Spencer Carbery will obviously have the final call, Patrick made it clear that the organization views Sourdif as a center. In his first year with the Capitals after coming over in a trade from the Florida Panthers, Sourdif recorded 35 points (15g, 20a) in 78 games, earning Calder Trophy consideration.
“I personally would prefer [Sourdif] at center,” Patrick said. “I like his game at center more than on the wing. That’s where I have him positioned on my board.”
Elsewhere up front, the Capitals have drastically reshaped how they will look next season on the wing by acquiring both Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch. The two high-scoring additions are both signed long-term, which could cloud the waters for some of Washington’s emerging winger prospects like Ivan Miroshnichenko and Andrew Cristall, among others.
Patrick was asked about the NHL prospects for Miroshnichenko and Cristall next season, specifically regarding a potential breakthrough on the left wing, given how many right-handed wingers the team now has. He chose to focus his comments solely on Miroshnichenko, who is a year older than Cristall and already has 52 games of NHL experience.
“I think Miro for sure, I want to see him have a really good camp and try to push for a regular spot in the lineup,” Patrick said. “Having these guys around makes everybody have to push to be better and to compete for their spot. Not just the younger guys, but everybody, right? Like, Carbs has options now. If a line’s not going, then they’re not going to get as much ice time as another line.
“And that’s what the guys want, right? They want the group to be accountable, and they want the group to have to play to its best level all the time. I think we’ve hopefully put ourselves in a position to do that.”
With captain Alex Ovechkin currently unsigned and undecided if he’ll be back in the NHL for another season, the Capitals have 12 forwards, including Protas and Miroshnichenko, under contract to start next season. Patrick also revealed that the Caps will explore signing forwards in free agency, so that roster picture could look different as soon as July 1.
