It’s now September, which means hockey season is right around the corner. The Washington Capitals will begin training camp in a couple weeks on Thursday, September 18th. The team is coming off a remarkable season that sadly ended in a second-round playoff series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Nevertheless, the Capitals’ 2025 offseason was interesting to say the least. Here is what happened over the summer.
Capitals’ Offseason Moves
There weren’t really a whole lot of offseason additions like last year. The biggest from this summer was forward Justin Sourdif. The 23-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick. Coming off a season with the 2025 Stanley Cup Champions, he is expected to compete for a fourth-line spot on the Caps.
The Capitals did lose some players in the process, including forward Andrew Mangiapane. Having been traded to Washington in 2024, he recorded 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists) in 81 regular season games. Mangiapane also had two points (one goal, one assist) in 10 playoff games. This past summer, the 29-year-old signed a two-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers.
The Caps also lost some notable players such as forwards Taylor Raddysh and Lars Eller, and defenseman Alexander Alexeyev.
Capitals’ Draft Recap
The Caps made five selections in the 2025 NHL Draft as they continue to build a young core once Alex Ovechkin retires. Washington used the 27th pick to select Canadian left wing Lynden Lakovic. The team also selected prospects Milton Gastrin, Maxim Schafer, Jackson Crowder, and Aron Dahlqvist.
Also during the draft, the Capitals acquired defenseman Declan Chisolm in a trade with the Minnesota Wild. Chisolm was acquired with a sixth-round pick in exchange for defenseman Chase Priskie and a fourth-round pick.
T.J. Oshie’s Retirement
Back on June 9th, veteran T.J. Oshie announced his retirement after 16 seasons in the NHL. The announcement was made at a ceremony held at the Georgetown Waterfront. Interestingly, it was the anniversary of when Capitals players celebrated at the same place just after winning the Stanley Cup.
Oshie was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 2005 and played seven seasons with that team. Then in 2015, he was traded to the Capitals where he would spend the rest of his career. The 38-year-old missed the entire 2024-25 season due to a back injury.
Nicklas Backstrom Moved Back to Sweden
Another beloved Capitals veteran departed the team this summer. On July 28th, Nicklas Backstrom announced that he would return to his native Sweden to resume his hockey career. The 37-year-old center signed a contract with his old club Brynas IL of the Swedish Hockey League.
Backstrom was drafted by Washington in 2006 and spent his entire NHL career in D.C. Sadly, he hadn’t been on the ice for the Caps since 2023 due to a hip injury.
Alex Ovechkin’s Russian Summer
Finally, Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin celebrated his summer in style. This past NHL season, the 39-year-old passed Wayne Gretzky to become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. This summer, Ovechkin spent a majority of his time in his native Russia. Just last month, the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow held a celebration for The Great 8 for becoming the NHL’s goal-scoring leader. He also participated in Pavel Datsyuk’s “Magic Game” in Yekaterinburg.
Ovechkin is about to turn 40 on September 17th, as he enters his 21st NHL season. He is set to return to the U.S. in time for Capitals training camp this month.
