Capitals are as well-rounded a team as expected
While it’s still early, the Washington Capitals are looking like a true postseason contender.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, there were expectations that the Capitals would be able to compete after taking a step back last season. However, the team has proven that, with so many notable additions, they have the ability to compete for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division, if not the entire Eastern Conference.
With captain Alex Ovechkin and goaltender Logan Thompson, Washington is already seeing a return on its investment in Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou this offseason. With wins in two of their first three games, the Caps look like a very confident bunch.
On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton discuss what makes the Capitals so dangerous.
Tyler Yaremchuk: This Washington team, whether it’s the Kyrou add, whether it’s the Alex Tuch add, those off-season moves, they’re paying some early dividends.
Carter Hutton: They are paying early dividends. The fact is that they already had some key pieces here. Something that we saw last night with that Pierre-Luc Dubois, Tom Wilson, Alex Tuch line. That’s a heavy line. A very hard line to play against, and they played very well. I think that’s the factor for me. It’s like when we talked about Buffalo, we’ve broken them down. Alex Tuch steps right back into that lineup, and he’s able to produce goals, energy, everything that he can do.
The other factor for me is like Pierre-Luc Dubois, a player who only played 29 games last year. If they get the healthy Pierre-Luc Dubois that we saw play on all 82 games in 2024-25, with 20 goals and 66 points, that is a very effective line. Then, you’re going to give relief to Kyrou. You’re going to give relief to Leonard. It goes down your lineup, staying healthy. Logan Thompson, looking the way he is now, you got to put him in the argument of: He’s probably the best goalie possibly in the Metro right now.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…
