NHL releases planned lineups for the Washington Capitals

One month before the start of league-wide training camp, the NHL has released its expected lineup for the Washington Capitals.

During the offseason, former general manager Brian MacLellan signed seven different players through free agency or trades, including Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Logan Thompson, Jakob Chychrun, Matt Roy, Taylor Raddysh and Brandon Duhaime. Meanwhile, five core players left town: Darcy Kuemper, Beck Malenstyn, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Nick Jensen and Max Pacioretty.

The Capitals are coming off an up-and-down 2023-24 season that saw them reach the postseason in their final regular-season game but were eliminated in the first round by the New York Rangers. Alex Ovechkin led the team with 31 goals and Dylan Strome was the team’s top scorer with 67 points. Charlie Lindgren took over the starting goalie spot and posted a 25-16-7 record and a .911 save percentage.

According to NHL Network and NHL.com, this is what the Capitals’ lineups for opening night could look like.

Washington Capitals Projected Lineups for 2024-25 Season

NHL Network

NHL.com

If the @Capitals take another trip to the #StanleyCup Playoffs 2024-25 with this expected lineup? 🦅

Read more from @NHLdotcom ➡️ https://t.co/9USDPxqMjZ pic.twitter.com/nvX67X6seL

— NHL (@NHL) 10 August 2024

Note: The projected lineups were released before the Capitals signed a tryout offer for Jakub Vrana on Thursday.

In both line projections, Dylan Strome is center on the first line, with Alex Ovechkin and Pierre-Luc Dubois making up the second trio. With five NHL-level centers on the roster and only four spots open, Connor McMichael plays left wing on the second line, while Hendrix Lapierre is center on the third line. In both lists, Nic Dowd is center on the third line, with Aliaksei Protas and Brandon Duhaime on the fourth line.

There is disagreement over the status of TJ Oshie, who is listed on NHL.com’s roster but not on NHL Network’s. Oshie is unsure if he will continue his playing career next season after suffering from back problems over the past few years and seeking a solution to his health issues.

Both projections show an interesting new defensive core. John Carlson skates with Jakob Chychrun, Rasmus Sandin skates with Matt Roy in the second pair and Martin Fehervary skates with Trevor van Riemsdyk.

Charlie Lindgren surpasses Logan Thompson in goal after his breakout year in Washington.

With so many new additions in Washington and several young players vying for a spot at Hershey (Ivan Miorshnichenko, Ethen Frank, Alex Limoges and Bogdan Trineyev), the offensive lines could look very different on opening night as head coach Spencer Carbery will look for chemistry during the preseason. Dubois will likely be stuck with Ovechkin on the front line for a long time, given the French-Canadian’s penchant for playing with Russians and his salary cap ($8.5 million).

“Yes, we will look at that,” Carbery said earlier this summer. “We will look at that. But I don’t think it’s fair to say that Pierre-Luc, who is coming now, will now be responsible for [Ovechkin]. He’s got big stature, can control the game, can skate and has shown throughout his career that he can be productive in the middle, from point production to starting in his defensive zone, moving the puck and finishing in the offensive zone. A lot of different things that you could say will prepare O, but it’s just going to help us play at a higher level and have the puck more.”

The Capitals’ rejig comes as management looks to ease the pressure on Alex Ovechkin in his 39th season. Ovechkin is 42 goals away from becoming the NHL’s new all-time goal scorer and has two seasons remaining on what could be his final NHL contract. The Capitals captain scored 31 goals last season, making him just the sixth player in NHL history to start a season at 38 or older and score 30 goals, according to Capitals PR.

Next season marks the Capitals’ 50th anniversary as a franchise.

How do you think the Capitals will line up next season? Post your lineup combinations in the comments below.