One of the biggest headlines heading into the summer was whether or not Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin would return for a 22nd NHL season.
A free agent after last season, the soon-to-be 41-year-old winger did not commit right away to returning for another year, opting to take his time.
But by July 2, the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer signed a one-year deal with the Capitals worth up to $9 million.
Ovechkin’s teammate Dylan Strome said on OverDrive Thursday afternoon that the rest of the team wasn’t 100 per cent sure if Ovechkin would be back but found out in a group chat text from him shortly before the news went public.
“We really didn’t know,” said Strome. “I think we all had a bit of an inclination that he was going to come back once he didn’t want to shake hands with the Penguins players and he kind of didn’t want to do a final goodbye against Columbus in our last game there and his family wasn’t at the game.
“But at the same time, you never know what happens in the summer and if he really wanted to do it again. I think he saw some of the moves our team made and the fact we could be a really good team this year.
“He’s still a huge part of our team. He led our team in goals and points last year. You don’t want to lose a guy like that and what he does for the locker room, on and off the ice, you can’t replace that with what he’s done in his career and how much he means to the team.”
The Capitals made several notable veteran additions in the off-season, including acquiring Jordan Kyrou from St. Louis, getting winger Alex Tuch in a sign-and-trade deal with the Buffalo Sabres and signing centre Boone Jenner to a four-year deal in free agency.
After finishing the 2024-25 regular season with 111 points, second in the NHL, Washington didn’t make the playoffs last year, finishing four points behind the Ottawa Senators for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Strome, who scored 19 goals with 58 points in 80 games last season, says that the expectations are much different in Washington this year.
“My previous four years in Washington there hasn’t been a ton of expectations, at least heading into the season,” said Strome. “Two years ago, we had an outstanding regular season and then got stopped by Carolina in the playoffs.
“I think building on that experience and a little bit different expectations this year, there’s a lot of talk about us and our team around the league and on social media. Management has done their job and now it’s on the players to go prove why people are talking about us.”
While the Capitals are filled with veteran talent throughout the lineup, the team also had several players 25 and younger who made significant contributions last season, including forwards Ryan Leonard, Aliaksei Protas and Justin Sourdif.
However, the one who stole headlines was rookie defenceman Cole Hutson, who arrived at the end of the regular season.
After notching 32 points in 35 games as a sophomore at Boston University, Hutson signed his entry-level contract and jumped right into the NHL, scoring three goals with 10 points in 14 games to wrap up the year.
“Very impressed,” said Strome of Hutson. “You don’t see many kids come in with that kind of aura he had walking into the dressing room. Just the way he danced on the ice, he definitely felt like he deserved to be there and belonged and you could see it in his play. He was making moves at the blueline when he was the last guy back. He was carrying the puck up the ice on the power play, avoiding the drop pass that sometimes feels like every team does and just carrying it in himself. I think his game is only going to continue to grow.
“I’m very excited to see what he’s got to offer this year. He’s an incredible talent. I know him and his brothers, all of them work extremely hard in the off-season, they work on their craft maybe more than anyone else in the whole league, so it’s a credit to them, their family on how hard they work.”
