Caps Daily Brew: Ovechkin & The Future, Big Names Hitting Trade Block, Summer Plans
Here's your daily dose of Capitals headlines.
It’s Friday, Washington Capitals fans, and it’s been a busy week.
Of course, Thursday morning was a bit of a wild day, with a corporate sales email being sent in error alluding to next year being Alex Ovechkin’s last. That email, reported by The Hockey Writers, was confirmed by us here at DC Backcheck to be inaccurate.
Ovechkin has not decided on his future, and instead, is looking forward to returning to North America to play his 21st NHL season and going from there.
All the while, the Capitals will look forward to the future and continue building and laying the foundation for the post-Ovechkin era. This offseason will surely be interesting with less needs to address, but some interesting names hitting the trade block and free agency.
All that being said, let’s dive into more headlines and news.
Washington Capitals News, Notes & Links
- The Ovechkin email was not accurate, as confirmed by the team. He has not made any decision regarding his future after the 2025-26 season, which marks the last year of the five-year extension he signed in 2021. When he does decide he’s done, though, it will be announced on a larger stage than an email. More on what happened.
- Ovechkin’s wife, Nastya, did touch on the rumors with Russian publication Arguments and Facts, confirming that Ovechkin will play next season, and then saying that after his playing career is over, they will move back to Moscow. Nothing surprising there.
- That said, people make mistakes. Things happen. But always be careful what you read, and know that whatever goes out on the Internet lasts. Your words matter.
- In other news, as the Capitals look at what their team may look like beyond the Ovechkin roster, there are a lot of interesting names making their rounds on the trade block.
- Would Minnesota Wild center and pending RFA Marco Rossi make sense as a potential target? An appealing name, but D.C. isn’t necessarily the right fit.
- A big reason for that: the Capitals already have an influx of internal options when it comes to filling the third-line center role, and a winger may be the better add for taking a bigger swing this offseason.
- Speaking of prospects and internal options, will Ivan Miroshnichenko crack the Capitals roster next season? A look at his season, what he had to say about his growth and expectations at The Hockey News.
- In proud partnership news, I’m personally excited to be a new brand ambassador for Unequal Sports, my undergear of choice, and also excited to be working with Pro Stock Hockey Sticks, my twig of choice for taking the ice. You can read more about both on my social media, and we have a link to Geppetto’s sticks on our homepage.