Reports: Washington Capitals planning to move to Alexandria, Virginia

The “Washington Capitals” nickname could soon become a slight misnomer: on Tuesday, reports indicated the team plans to relocate across the Potomac to nearby Alexandria, VA.

Alexandria, a popular destination for D.C. commuters, emerged as a candidate to host the team’s new digs when the state of Virginia passed a measure approving the development of a new multi-billion dollar sports and entertainment complex earlier in the week.

There are still legislative wheels that need greasing to make that measure a done deal, but news of a scheduled meeting between Caps’ owner Ted Leonsis and Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin leaves little ambiguity over the former’s plans for his team.

Should the move to the Potomac Yard area, where Leonsis and Governor Youngkin will address the public at 9 am ET tomorrow, become official, the Capitals would move about 20 minutes south of their current home in downtown Washington.

That building, the Capital One Arena, has hosted the Capitals since the 1997-98 campaign and seen three Presidents Trophies and a Stanley Cup pass through its doors.

The NBA Washington Wizards, also owned by Leonsis, would be included in the potential move, which would not occur until the 2028-29 season.

The off-ice development will garner plenty of interest amongst the Capitals’ fanbase, which has suffered through an anemic season so far in 2023-24; Washington is 14-8-3 thanks largely to the efforts of goaltender Charlie Lindgren (6-2-1, .931 SV%), but their 64 goals are the second-fewest in the NHL.

Leonsis will hope a new home can invigorate his franchise, which has not won a playoff series since its Stanley Cup triumph in 2018 and has one of the league’s oldest rosters.