After meekly missing the playoffs, the Washington Capitals had a momentous offseason that could make them a powerhouse both now and in the years to come.
The team acquired, through either a trade or free agency — Jordan Kyrou, Alex Tuch, Boone Jenner, and Vincent Desharnais — and re-signed captain Alex Ovechkin to a one-year deal. Notably, Kyrou waived his no-movement clause to come to Washington while Tuch, one of the top pending unrestricted free agents, was signed by the Buffalo Sabres to an eight-year contract before being traded to the Capitals, a week before he was set to hit the market where he’d have many suitors.
While Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery admitted he was enthused by the club’s additions, he also shared a bigger-picture perspective with the media: Washington has become one of the top destinations in the NHL for free agents — a once-unthinkable thought decades ago.
“Yeah, it’s exciting,” Carbery said on Friday at the conclusion of the 2026 Development Camp. “I can feel the energy around our team. I know there’s a lot of talk in the hockey world about our group, about the moves that Chris and his team have made. They’ve done a phenomenal job of not only the moves and signing Alex, but I think of specific needs inside of our group, our forward group, our d-corp, of what specific individual qualities do we need. And I think they did an amazing job of identifying those and going out and executing the moves to get it.
“The other thing that I think is a great part, that I’m very proud of and our fan base should be very proud of, our city should be very proud of, our players in our locker room should be very proud of is: There’s multiple moves, signings in there where players want to come play in DC. And that’s pretty cool when you’ve got 31 markets to choose from and some tax-free states and go through it all, and you have people that are identifying and players that are really, really good in the league, that want to come here and want to live in this community, want to play for this organization because they’ve been a visitor and come into the building and seen what and felt what that was like, and then heard about our locker room and heard about the leadership, and heard about O, and heard about how close it is, and our staff. And so all the things that go into it, for players to want to sign here and specifically one of 32, ‘There’s the spot I want to be,’ is something that we all should be real proud of.”
The Capitals also inked depth players Jonny Brodzinski, Justin Holl, and Josh Dunne during their offseason blitzkrieg.
The moves transform a Capitals team that struggled to score both at five-on-five and on the power play last season, and gives the team much more versatility up and down the lineup.
Carbery’s comments come as Washington has become a genuine hockey town over the last two decades. The franchise captured its first Stanley Cup in 2018, seeing an estimated 500k to 1 million people come out for the championship parade, and saw Ovechkin break the NHL goals record in 2025. Local rinks have also seen a huge influx of signups for youth hockey during the Ovechkin Era.
The new Capitals’ acquisitions arrive as the team’s home base, Capital One Arena, is undergoing massive renovations both to its interior and exterior, which will increase the building’s footprint from 900,000 to over 1.6 million square feet. The venue has already completed big upgrades to player locker rooms, therapy areas, and family lounges with Phase 4 of the $800 million, multi-year transformation currently underway that will tackle a new facade, a programmable “veil” roof, revamped concession stands, upgraded premium suites, and widened concourses.
The hockey team also has its own dedicated practice facility, MedStar Capitals Iceplex, in Arlington, Virginia, near where many of the players currently live.
Beyond the Capitals, the area’s love for hockey was further exhibited this past January, when local fans broke the United States’ attendance record for a women’s hockey game (17,228 fans) at Capital One Arena (a record that was re-set nearly four months later).
While the Capitals have become a top destination in the NHL, there’s also a buzz around DC Sports in general. The Washington Commanders are two years removed from making the playoffs and reaching the NFC Championship Game. Quarterback Jayden Daniels has become one of the biggest stars in the sport, earning the Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2024. The Commanders are also moving from Northwest Stadium to a new 70,000-seat roofed venue at the old RFK Stadium site in DC — a project expected to be completed in 2030.
The Washington Wizards, too, may also be undergoing a real renaissance. The team recently grabbed huge headlines after selecting AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-9 forward led the NCAA in points (25.5 ppg) while averaging 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game during his freshman campaign at BYU. The pick electrified Wizards fans, who crowded into The Anthem to celebrate the selection.
Dybantsa joins a much-improved Wizards roster that already boasts Trae Young and Anthony Davis in their starting 5.
While the Washington Nationals are currently rebuilding, they too have recently won a championship, earning their first World Series title in 2019 with stars like Juan Soto, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Ryan Zimmerman. The team plays at a relatively new Nationals Park.
Meanwhile, the Washington Mystics won their first WNBA championship in 2019, and the Washington Spirit, a NWSL team, also has one of the biggest stars in soccer on its roster, Trinity Rodman.
