The Washington Capitals are officially back on the ice.
The team opened training camp on Thursday with its first on-ice session. Today also marks the team’s annual Media Day, giving reporters their first opportunity of the season to speak with nearly the entire roster, coaching staff, and management.
RMNB will be updating this post throughout the day with notable quotes, news, photos, and links to our full stories as they’re published. Katie Adler will be reporting live from MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
Latest updates
2:30 PM – Chris Patrick on Alex Ovechkin’s appearance in United Russia ad
Capitals general manager Chris Patrick addressed the media this afternoon, where he spoke on the backlash to Ovechkin’s appearance in a United Russia campaign commercial.
“It’s a difficult situation, and I understand why people are upset,” Patrick said. “That’s probably all I should say as a general manager of a hockey team and not someone well-versed in geopolitical issues.”
He later expressed his sympathy for Ovechkin’s current situation: “I feel bad for him. It may not be a popular sentiment among people critiquing him right now, but it’s a hard situation for him.”
2:30 PM – Chris Patrick on Rasmus Sandin’s recovery timeline
After Rasmus Sandin skated solo in a blue no-contact jersey, general manager Chris Patrick offered an update on his timeline to the media. Sandin tore his AC and underwent surgery this April, with an originally projected recovery time of 6-9 months.
“Still a little early to make a call on his schedule, but the six to nine-month window is still there, and I think we’re all hopeful, based on how he looks that maybe we’re closer to the earlier part of that,” Patrick said. “But nothing that I would want you guys to hold me to: it’s just it’s very positive how he looks right now. We hope it continues to go that way.”
Though Patrick did not know exactly when Sandin started skating again, he confirmed he’d been on the ice since at least mid-August.
12:45 Tom Wilson’s expectations for the Capitals
After years of looking to prove themselves, the Capitals are coming into this season with high expectations after a flashy offseason. Few have bigger expectations than Tom Wilson.
“I think every single day, every single practice starting now with this group, I want this organization to win a Cup,” Wilson said. “If it’s not this year, it’s going to be the next year.”
“We’ve got a really solid — you can’t just snap your fingers and win the Stanley Cup. It’s the hardest trophy in sports to win. I’m not going to be that naive to say, ‘Hey, we’re just going to automatically win it this year.’ But we’re going to start putting in the work, we’re going to start pulling in our direction, and we’re going to try and really make some noise and be a team that other teams don’t want to be in our way.”
12:30: Ryan Leonard on his $84 million contract
Ryan Leonard, who signed an eight-year, $84 million contract this week,
“When you hear that a team and an organization has a trust in you like that, it’s kind of hard not to turn it down,” he said.
Leonard joked that he’d have to thank Ducks forward Leo Carlsson, whose offer sheet this summer rapidly increased RFA salaries.
“I’ll definitely be giving him a tap on the shins this year, maybe.”
11:45 am – Alex Ovechkin addresses media about appearing in United Russia party campaign ad
Alex Ovechkin appeared in a campaign commercial for the Putin-aligned United Russia party and has drawn widespread criticism for it.
The latest development came on Wednesday from Congressman Joe Wilson who sent a letter to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman a letter asking for the league to review the matter. Rep. Wilson also handwrote a note at the bottom: “Putin is a convicted war criminal!”
“The thing about video, I’m Russian,” Ovechkin said to media. “As soon as I’m done playing hockey, I’m probably going to stay there. I’m gonna live there, my kids are gonna live there, my family, so I’m focusing love. I hope everything is going to be okay.
“My home is Russia. This is my second home. I have lots of friends. I grew up here as a person. How I said, this is my second home. I hope everything is going to be okay, and how I said, peace and love with everybody.”
11:12 am – Logan Thompson is not bitter at all about not being a Vezina Trophy finalist last season
10:45 am – Rasmus Sandin skates alone wearing light blue non-contact jersey
Between Groups A & B taking the ice, Rasmus Sandin skated in a light blue, non-contact jersey, taking laps around the rink.
In late April, Sandin underwent surgery to repair an ACL tear in his right knee that will keep him out 6 to 9 months, putting his return anywhere between late October and late January. The latest update the Capitals provided came from general manager Chris Patrick who said Sandin was “doing pretty well, so hopefully he’ll be on the shorter side of that recovery window. But when we see him when he gets into (training) camp, we’ll have a lot better feel for that.”
9:00 am – Group A hits the ice, revealing new lines
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said during the offseason that the lines he may use on Opening Night would begin camp together because of a shorter training camp and preseason (four games) this fall. When Group A hit the ice with the major players, the new groupings debuted, as shown by the jersey colors they wore.
Lines & Pairings
8:45 am – Group A & Group B rosters revealed
Group A
| No. | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 72 | Anthony Beauvillier | F |
| 76 | Jonny Brodzinski | F |
| 80 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | F |
| 53 | Ethen Frank | F |
| 22 | Boone Jenner | F |
| 25 | Jordan Kyrou | F |
| 9 | Ryan Leonard | F |
| 63 | Ivan Miroshnichenko | F |
| 8 | Alex Ovechkin | F |
| 21 | Aliaksei Protas | F |
| 62 | Ilya Protas | F |
| 34 | Justin Sourdif | F |
| 17 | Dylan Strome | F |
| 89 | Alex Tuch | F |
| 43 | Tom Wilson | F |
| 6 | Jakob Chychrun | D |
| 73 | Vincent Desharnais | D |
| 42 | Martin Fehervary | D |
| 4 | Justin Holl | D |
| 44 | Cole Hutson | D |
| 27 | Timothy Liljegren | D |
| 52 | Dylan McIlrath | D |
| 3 | Matt Roy | D |
| 79 | Charlie Lindgren | G |
| 33 | Clay Stevenson | G |
| 48 | Logan Thompson | G |
Group B
| No. | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Andrew Cristall | F |
| 40 | Josh Dunne | F |
| 71 | Tyler Kopff | F |
| 14 | Lynden Lakovic | F |
| 58 | Eriks Mateiko | F |
| 23 | Theodor Niederbach | F |
| 18 | Terik Parascak | F |
| 85 | Ludwig Persson | F |
| 65 | Maxim Schafer | F |
| 66 | Petr Sikora | F |
| 81 | Spencer Smallman | F |
| 91 | Alex Suzdalev | F |
| 49 | Patrick Thomas | F |
| 87 | Bogdan Trineyev | F |
| 54 | Cam Allen | D |
| 50 | Louie Belpedio | D |
| 36 | Jeremie Biakabutuka | D |
| 41 | Ryan Chesley | D |
| 93 | David Gucciardi | D |
| 2 | Jacob MacDonald | D |
| 39 | Jon McDonald | D |
| 45 | Leon Muggli | D |
| 68 | Garin Bjorklund | G |
| 78 | Mitchell Gibson | G |
| 31 | Ben Kraws | G |
| 47 | Cal Petersen | G |
