Washington Capitals 2025-26 Season Preview: Ovechkin, Dubois & Breakout Candidates
On today’s show, where do the Capitals finish the 2025 2026 season and which players are set to have a breakout season? I’ll discuss next on this edition of Locked on Capitals. [Music] You’re Locked on Capitals, your daily podcast on the Washington Capitals, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Well, hello and welcome into this edition of Locked On Capitals, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. My name is Dan Holy. I’ve covered the Capitals for the past three seasons for Locked On and various other outlets before that. I’m also the host of the weekly show called The Capitals Minute Cast available wherever you find your podcasts. And as always, I want to thank you for making this your first listen of the day. So, in this edition of Locked On Capitals, we look forward to the 2025 2026 season. Yes, we have to put last season in the past. The Capitals got eliminated in the second round and they fell short of the goal. That’s all in the past. Where do the Capitals finish in 2025, 2026? I’ll talk about that a bit later. We’ll talk about what could swing the season. Uh listen, sometimes the best laid plans go to waste, but right now the optimism is overflowing the Capitals organization. After that, breakout picks for the Capitals. But just to get it going here, where do the Capitals finish in 2025, 2026? I think uh the Capitals are going to take a step forward. Yes. Yes. Yes. Despite many people saying the Capitals are going to take a step back, you know that last year was kind of a one-off that the players that put up career numbers, how often do they duplicate that or even exceed those things? Those are the things that we’ll talk about in today’s show. But let’s just dive into the meat and potatoes here. talking about, you know, the big picture outlook. Where do the Capitals finish because new season is here and maybe one last lap uh for one goalcoring legend, Alex Ovuchkin. So, let’s kind of just set the table here. The Capitals had a massive turnaround last year. We all know that they finished. They were the last team to qualify the year before, the first to qualify last year, top seed in the East, first playoff win since 2018, and then the agony of defeat, the second round exit to the Carolina Hurricanes. And that was a tough one for me as I was drinking the Kool-Aid on the Capitals. and certain doubts started to seep in for me a little bit, right, that um I thought the Capitals would have been able to um to go further. I think that uh the Canadians posed, you know, had some more push back than I had perceived. Um I didn’t know that Carolina was going to be as good as they were every year. I shouldn’t be surprised. Carolina is a good team. Um but here’s the thing, that wasn’t a fluke what the Capitals did last year, in my opinion. That was structure. That was buying into Spencer Carberry system. Uh, and that’s what happens. Those are the fruits of a full buyin. And what did you see from the Capitals players when they bought into his systems? Well, everything was humming along. He literally took home the Jack Adams award for that. This isn’t just me being a homer. This isn’t conjecture. This is stats, you know, or at least, you know, winning the Jack Adams and finishing war the Capitals. that isn’t just Dan talking about the Capitals in a favorable way. Um, but that matters because it tells you the identity is sticky and it’s going to be go that way going into next season that I think they learned um the systems and what the expectations are that were laid out by Spencer Carberry and his assistants. Now, the hard part of course is that there’s going to be new players in the mix, younger players that are going to have to learn the systems. But I think, you know, if I’m going to talk about last season, I don’t think it was a one-off. It was the makings of a foundation of structure under Spencer Carberry. And uh, you know, talking about big names, Alex Ovuchkin, alltime goals king at 897. Um, and that was the chase all season. Uh, the Capitals making it to the the playoffs, winning the the Metro and the Eastern. Uh that was just the byproducts of being invested in Alex of Alex Avetkin’s chase. Um but him Alex Avetkin going into his 40th year on this planet, his 21st in the league, he’s still a power play cheat code that you can count on that we know that Alex Ovetkin is going to set up from the left dot and yet Netminders are struggling to stop it. And um you know, if you take a look at it, we’re going to talk about usage um for Alex Ovuchkin. Uh because the usage has been smarter when it comes to him. Uh they don’t just put him out there all the time. They understand in many cases less is more when it comes to the great eights. Uh so what happens? Break it all down. Fewer minutes, higher efficiency, um better production. So don’t expect him 22 minutes a night. you know, I think what what is a reasonable expectation is 17 or 18 and that’s okay. Um, and the key to his success down the middle of course is Dylan Stro and he set the tone last year. The player that plays with finesse, the player that has the high hockey IQ, the player that slows down play and makes the right decision is the player that elevated Alex Ovetchkin post Nicholas Backstrom. Uh he led the team uh in points, playmaking through the neutral zone. Um just huge. Um and those little cutback entries that buy you your winger space, that’s his bread and butter and that’s why he still deserves to be in the driver’s seat at one seat. Behind him, you know, it’s just like a sandwich of success, if you will, for the Capitals is pure Luke Dubois. Uh the Capitals, they bet big on a change of scenery for Pier Luke Dubois that we know was a mismatch in the city of angels and a bigger role and flipped the switch. Uh the fit in LA never fit. It fit with the Capitals here. Um he has to transport the puck, finish netfront, and be violent on retrievalss. That’s exactly how Carberry wants his second unit to play on the back end. Um, you know, the faith is put in the Capitals on the back end. Martin Faravari signed that monster 7year extension. You know, the fact that he’s not going to be 100% or at least when I record that, that is what is said is that he’s probably not going to start the season right away, that he’s still dealing with some inflammation. Um, but signing that seven-year extension, that is a vote of confidence. That tells you everything about the blue line core that Martin Farravari is a key piece. Um he and John Carlson anchor uh the heavy minutes. And then also in that mix the next wave in Martin Farravari is Rasmusandine, a big uh contributor. Jacob Cher, the new addition that was as advertised and better in my opinion. Uh those two round out a top four that can move pucks and kill cycles in that mix as well. Uh talking blue line is Matt Roy uh for defensive conscious and you’ve got balance. You’ve got the offensiveminded uh defenders, you’ve got uh the defensive mind blue liners on the team and I think that they work uh together very well. And it’s not just names, it’s roles. And roles win in January. And it’s also the tandem that you have in net. Uh Logan Thompson and Charlie Lingren exceeded expectations I think of most every quote unquote NHL insider. Um Logan Thompson who for large swaths of the season was in the conversation for Vzna. Um that he elevated his game. He was hungry to prove that he was better than the Vegas Golden Knights sold him out to be. And Charlie Lingren, of course, continues to do Chucky things, even that wasn’t his best season last year in more of a oneb role that he still has the confidence of the Capitals organization um to get starts. And not not because Logan Thompson’s injured. It is it is just that a 1A 1B situation that I think that keeping um the net minders fresh is what is of paramount importance but that tandem costcontrolled competent and it’s real competition for starts. Uh thing you know about Thompson calm edges lingerren’s uh battle and broken plays they complement each other perfectly. And you know, when you look at it, it’s not just happen stance. It’s not throwing a dart at the board. They put the net minders in there that have the greatest success versus teams that they play well against historically. Uh they split the load early, ride the heater later is my opinion. That’s what we saw uh last year anyway. Uh that I expect them to split the workload, but when it gets down to crunch time, you want to go with more of what the sure thing is. That is why you saw uh Logan Thompson get a bit more of the starts uh in the latter part of the season. That’s the plan. But big picture, I’m calling out 100 um to 110 points early take here. Metro Hunt top half special teams five on five shot share maybe break even but quality chances lean Capitals because of finishing talent. That is the model. Um so now I’m curious out there. Hit me up on Twitter at dancaps28 or on YouTube. What’s your number? Where do the Capitals fit as finish as far as points are concerned? 104 107. Um that I think that um there’s nothing out there that makes me believe that the Capitals are going to take a step back. The players that they subtracted uh were of little importance. They weren’t impactful. Uh even though that’s not a word, um that they they didn’t have great impact. Um you take a look at the uh minus of um Mapani. You take a look at the minus of Radish and and Alexv and you know down in Hershey, Charlie Lingren, these kind of guys that you know they were a part of the pie that led to the success. But I think the players that they have in the youth and the players that they um acquired uh like Sortiff and Declan Chisum, I think uh that they could be even better than what the Capitals had last season. All right, so coming up here after the break, what could swing the season for the Capitals? I’ll discuss straight ahead. The NFL season is almost here and FanDuel is making sure you’re ready for kickoff with a can’tmiss offer. Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. There’s so much to love. It makes every game more exciting whether you’re watching your team or just keeping an eye on your fantasy lineup. So say it’s the Commanders or the Ravens, it makes it fun to watch. But say you want vested interest in all of the games, even the lowly Browns, open up the FanDuel app, put a little bit of money on the game. All of a sudden, they got that much more exciting. It’s quick, it’s easy to use, and the best way to add a little more energy to Sundays if you don’t have enough already. So, are you ready to play? Download the FanDuel app now by visiting fanduel.com to get started. That’s fanduel.com to place your first $5 bet. All right, welcome back into this edition of Locked on Capitals, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. You can find me over on Twitter, it’s dancaps28. You can find the show on Twitter. It’s @lockton cap. So in segment two here, we’re talking about what could swing the 2025 2026 season as the vibes. You know, the youth is all about vibes. You know, I wasn’t feeling the vibe. The vibes surrounding this team right now, I think, are positive. It could we could be entering into the final season of Alexkin and every game is going to be a mustwatch game. every shift, every game, every series, you want to see what OV and the Capitals put up. Uh, but let’s dig into the question that keep me up that keeps me up at night. First one, Ovetchkin’s usage and power play evolution. Uh, we saw lower time on ice, higher efficiency approach work last year. The question is, can they keep him fresh and dangerous? I’m talking Alexkin as he is entering in, like I said, into his 40th year on the planet, 21st year in the league. Uh, can they do that? Um, can they keep him healthy? The Russian machine that never breaks. Well, he broke a bit last year, didn’t he? With that collision with Jack Ma Jack McBain of the Utah Hockey Club, but still still did the darn thing uh by catching and passing Gretzky. Uh, the bumper spot and weak side seem have to stay dynamic. If the second unit chips in, the whole PP becomes harder to scout. Um, talking about Stro and Dubois conversation, who is going to be the number one and number two respectively? I’m talking first line center and second line center. There isn’t really drama. It’s um, you know, just the opportunity and optionally what the Capitals plan on doing. If Dubois starts bullying matchups and that line clicks, Carberry could spread minutes closer to even. I think that of course Stro is is the front runner. You know, it should surprise no one to be the first line center as the the chemistry, the rapport, um, and just the the basic compatibility, I guess I would say, with Alex Ovetchkin. But if Strong keeps feeding Obie and Wilson like last year, don’t fix what isn’t broken. Sometimes people, they they just overthink things like things were going well and you’re like, how about if it even went better if I did this? Seems to me in real life that is rarely the case. But uh uh then we’ve got middle six finishing. They resigned Bavilier, right? That was the consolation prize to not signing Nikolai Eelers in my belief and I’m not saying that is a knock. I’m not dunking on Anthony Bavilier. I’m not saying it is a pjorative, but what I am saying is, you know, Bavilier came here and I’m just going to be honest with you, exceeded my expectations. Um that was the only move that was made on the trade deadline. And you know, we can argue about if that was the right move. Then some would say they should have made more. But Bavilier, uh, who played on a line at times with Sydney Crosby, you thought to yourself, well, there’s something here, right? I mean, I remember back to his time with the Islanders and then, uh, a guy that bounced around a little bit. But what did we see? At times, he was playing the top line with the great eight. So, it’s there. And then in that same pot, they added Justin Sort, who’s sneaky good at driving play, or at least in the limited play that we’ve seen. But the question is is finishing. If Conor Mcichael can take another step and one of the the kids sticks, that’s a swing of one or two goals a week. That Conor Mcichael who put up record career numbers, shall we say, last season. If he can duplicate that or even take a step forward into the uh dynamic player that we know that he is, uh that changes the standings math. Blue Line, same story. uh pairing and puck movement are the hinge. Um you know, you take a look at it, I think that there’s not a lot of qualms or or complaints rather about the blue line, but if Chron can clean up those defensive zone retrievalss and Sand Dean continues growing, uh this team spends way more time on the offense as it should. uh Czech, a guy with some offensive flare and Sand Dean understanding that he’s not Eric Carlson that he hoped that he was when he was younger. He unders his role and uh the goalending cadence as well is another thing that it is the perfect um fluctuation between or alternating the vacasillation of Thompson and Lingren is a true tandem. And I think that that’s something that shouldn’t be undersold there. That that is huge. Some teams out in the NHL, if you can believe it, don’t have a really solid number one. Uh, if one gets hot, ride it for a stretch. Say Chucky takes a dip, then you got to ride Thompson for a while. But I think ideally it’s a 1A, 1B situation. Sunonny Milano back from injury gives you a crafty utility winger, right? that uh what we saw from Sunonny Milano at camp thus far is the best version of Sunonny Milano. Is it good enough to crack the roster that is burgeoning forward with youth and also sprinkled in with some um uh uh veterans, if you will? Some have more veteran experience than others. It’s going to be difficult for Sunonny Milano to to make his way to this team. I’m not ready to count him out. I would never do that because what we’ve seen and I want to judge based on what I have seen here recently, he looks really good in camp. The ball’s in his court. Can he seize the day? Uh the Capitals, they went out and addressed the blue line. As we know, Marty Faravari uh got injured and when they went into the cabinet, what did they pull out? A fresh cup of of Alexia. That gh that they should have left that in there. Uh Declan Chisum, depth D with real upside. So when you know what hits the fan, you can reach out for Declan Chisum and hopefully you have what you’re looking for. Those aren’t headlines. Uh they’re insulation. The insulation wins in February. And uh one more thing, the Metro Arms race. Um as there’s teams this off season that got better. Carolina’s not going anywhere. I expect the Rangers to take a step forward as well. Um it’s going to be interesting, you know, to see who comes out. the Devils and uh I’m talking about um you know the Penguins. They’re going to try to prove that they’re no slouch either. So uh Carolina reloaded the Rangers are still the Rangers. Jerseyy’s push is real. The Caps don’t have to win the division to be dangerous. I think that often times we get hung up on President’s Trophy and ultimately it’s just it’s it’s just it’s an it’s an accomplishment, right? We won the President’s Trophy. ask the Rangers if they care about winning the President’s Trophy a couple seasons ago when they had the season they had last season. Sometimes it just doesn’t matter year overyear, but staying clear of the 2-3 matchup in round one, that would be nice. Um, that’s the thing. And we know that all roads are going to go through Carolina, right? And the Capitals have got to find a way uh to be good to be good enough to get through there. Um, so what are the what are the questions? hit hit me up on Twitter as a Capitals fan, maybe a conspiratorial negative Capitals fans. What are the things that keep you up at night? Is it Obie’s usage? Um, Dubois impact? Those kind of things. Hit me up on Twitter at Dancaps28 or on YouTube. Um, tell me what you’re what you’re feeling hopeful for, but what are the things that keep you up at night as a Capitals fan? Like, oh, I I wish they would have taken care of this or that. I’d sure love to hear from you. All right. So, coming up here after the break, we’ll talk about breakout picks. Straight ahead, we have an important request. Lock on. Locked on wants to hear from you. We’ve put together a survey to learn more about our our listeners and make your favorite podcasts even better. This is your chance to tell us what you like, what you don’t, and the answer the questions about our advertising. Go to lockedonpodcast.com/servey to get started. Everyone who competes completes a survey will be entered for a chance to win one of 10 $100 Amazon gift cards. Again, that’s lockedpodcast.com/servey. You can also find the link in the show notes. Thanks for helping us out. All right, welcome back into this edition of Locked On Capitals, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. The best way that you can help grow the show is to subscribe to Locked On Capitals on YouTube and comment anything down below. In the final segment of today’s show, who steps up kids, risers, and breakout picks as this season is going to be the thing that the Capitals have talked about. Oh well, for years that we’re going to lean into the youth and then they never do it. You know, they they do, you know, it’s the coaching with Lavlet. He only wanted to go with the sure thing and then all of a sudden the Capitals realized enough. We’ve done that. We’ve tried the the 2018 team and we’ve tried to retread that tire with very various different players. It’s time to embrace the youth. So, my favorite part of this time of year is talking about who steps up. Let’s start with the man himself, Conor Mcichael. Breakout watch is on. I think there is an absolutely distinct possibility. He takes on that third line center role and I think he seizes the day. The third line that was the weakness for the Capitals last year will be revered as one of their strengths. Wow. You want to talk about a bold take? I think that is the case. Uh he flashed last year, better pace, uh better touches under pressure, more shot volume. Uh if he hits 20 goals, that’s the secondary scoring bump this team needs. Um and I expect him to grow. Can he duplicate his success from last year? I think that’s the case. Another player that we got a a glimpse of towards the latter part of the season is Ryan Leonard. Uh this guy turned pro last year, showed up in uh with the Capitals and um you know was a key addition to this team. Big frame, big motor. Uh he is a camp player that I think could surprise a lot of us. I think that the early projection is, you know, third line rightwing, but I wouldn’t I wouldn’t say that a top six uh minutes are are out of the question for him, at least in the preseason. if he forces their hand, you might see him um in in a top six role. I guess it remains to be seen. And then you take a look at Ivon Mirneshenko um and you talk about his sustainability, right? We talk about Yvon all the time. Um I always speak um optimistically about him thinking that it’s going to be his season and it’s never sustainable. The question is, can he win enough wall battles to stick? Can um can we see um that sustainable play that we saw with him and Hershey that he is fully acclimated in my opinion to the North American game? That was always the thing. You know, wait some time. He’s not acclimated to the North American game. I think he is. Now’s the time to make good on that. Uh give him a playmaker, give him a retriever and let him shoot against uh some of the best out there. Next, we’re going to talk about Andrew Crystal, the guy that also has the great high hockey IQ. a guy that I already have penciled in on the second line left wing position. The vision is real. Um, and if he sneaks into that second line left wing, it could change the look completely. Again, I talked about this. I recorded it in an upcoming show. Um, is I’m talking about could you imagine a line of Andrew Crystal left wing, pure Luke Dubois at center, and Ryan Leonard on the right wing. That’s your second That’s your second uh uh line out there. I think that that could be most impressive. It’s something that already uh gets me rather excited. And then you take uh in addition to another younger talent that the Capitals acquired, Justin Sort of uh who is penciled in to be on that fourth line with Dow and Du. I think that he is going to be a gamecher, but it’s not going to have any gimmies, right? I I think that Justin Sortif is here. uh the Capitals put the faith in him by trading away two draft picks to acquire him. We know that he would have to clear waiverss, all those kind of things. Um that I think he’s here, but he’s going regardless he’s going to have to earn it. Um Farah Faravari, you know, uh I expect the Capitals to take steps forward uh with that new contract, a found a foundational piece. The perception is is that um Martin Farvari is a long-term piece of this team. I don’t think that that’s really up for debate. And um you know when we talk about the blue line in general it’s it’s in a really good spot. There’s a couple question marks like I’ve talked about before with Carlson and Trevor Van Re Van Remdsteck entering into contract years. But big picture really great and Sand Dean keeps growing and both of those guys if Farravari and Sandine uh can keep going out there playing solid minutes I think the Capitals are going to be a problem for a lot of teams uh in the NHL. And one last name out there as well is pure Luke Dubois. If PLLD hits 60 plus points and controls matchups, everything else becomes easier. Um, it changes how you deploy Stro. It makes Oby’s life easier. And if you give him another net front hammer on PP1, uh, that is something. Uh, like I’ve talked about in this thing, I’m talking about, you know, game changers, that kind of thing. Is goalending, can Logan Thompson continue to be sustainable in 2526? high water mark for him last year. You know, take a look at it. Various points of the season, the best net minder in the NHL. Uh if he gives you a 915 and a calm presence, the team’s ceiling is really high. And that is what has me uh you know, feeling so optimistic. Um you know, in net, your team plays confidently uh if you have a really rockolid net minder and not if you don’t. We saw that with Sam Sonoff and and Vanichek before. We saw that with Keer before. Um, and you know to have a safety net in Charlie Lingren is ideal. Again, I I can’t say this enough. Some teams don’t have a really solid number one. Uh, so I think that is huge. But final projection, I’m saying 104 points, second in the Metro, uh, win around maybe two if health cooperates. The window isn’t wide open, but it’s open. And, um, I think that the Capitals need to seize the opportunity. But hit me up on Twitter. Who are your breakout picks? Is it Nick, Michael, Leonard, sort of? Uh, I want to hear from you. I want this to be a back and forth. I love to hear from the listeners and viewers of this show what your thoughts are. I think that um, you know, a lot of it is going to be determined on if they can duplicate the previous year’s success. I’m talking about the players that put up career numbers last year. Mcichael, Dubois, Prous, um, Tom Wilson, these kind of guys that a lot of it is just depending on that. Listen, it’s still Spencer Carberry here. It’s still the same systems and the additions uh outweigh the subtractions that this team faced in the offseason. I’m feeling optimistic about the Capitals and I think you should as well. All right. Once again, I want to thank you for joining me on this edition of Locked on Capitals, your only daily year- round podcast covering the Capitals. And I want to thank all of you that listen on the audio side and watch this on YouTube. You are what makes this show successful. When you’re done here, head on over to Locked on NHL as they have you covered. 5 days a week available wherever you find your podcasts and on YouTube. All right, once again I want to thank you for joining me on this edition of Locked On Capitals, part of the Locked On podcast network. It is your team every day. My name is Dan Homie and I’ll talk to you again next time.
The Washington Capitals enter the 2025-26 NHL season with momentum, depth, and plenty of intrigue. After last year’s playoff breakthrough and Alex Ovechkin’s historic goal-scoring milestone, Washington looks to push further in the Metro Division race. Key veterans like Dylan Strome, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and John Carlson will be tasked with leading the charge, while Martin Fehérváry, Rasmus Sandin, and Jakob Chychrun solidify one of the league’s most balanced blue lines. Goaltending stability with Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren provides the backbone, as Spencer Carbery looks to build on his Jack Adams-winning system.
But the biggest questions loom: how will Ovechkin’s usage evolve, can Dubois find another gear in Washington, and will the Caps’ middle-six deliver the secondary scoring they need? Emerging talents like Connor McMichael, Ryan Leonard, Ivan Miroshnichenko, and Justin Sourdif could make the difference between a strong playoff berth and a true Cup run. With a projected 100–110 points, the Capitals’ mix of experience and youth makes them one of the NHL’s most intriguing teams heading into 2025-26.
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