With a slow start to their 2023-24 season, the Washington Capitals seem to be back where they were just a season ago when they ended up missing the playoffs and ultimately, had one of the worst seasons in recent franchise history. With this season lined up to be their potential bounce-back season, they will have to figure out their issues quickly and resolve them if they hope to make it back into the playoff picture. That said, here are seven Capitals players that won’t be traded during the 2023-24 season.
Alex Ovechkin
While this seems like a given, it has to be noted that Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will not be traded this season. He has been off to a slow start with just one assist through the team’s first three games, but with the resume he has, fans and the coaching staff know it’s only a matter of time before he snaps out of his season-opening rut and begins dominating offensively.
Ovechkin, who is 38 years old, is chasing the all-time goals record currently held by Wayne Gretzky. Heading into the 2023-24 season, Ovechkin had 822 goals putting him second all-time in career goals, and just 72 behind Gretzky. With 1,486 points in 1,350 career games up until this point in his career, he is basically a lock for the Hall of Fame when his legendary career comes to an end. Having been the leader of the Capitals for over a decade, he will not be traded this season and will finish his career with the Caps.
The Rest Of The Core: Backstrom, Carlson, Wilson
Looking at the next three players that won’t be traded during the 2023-24 season from the Capitals, they are the rest of the core in Washington. Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, and Tom Wilson are all going to try and be the players who help lead the Capitals to their second Stanley Cup in franchise history. Backstrom has been Ovechkin’s duo since being drafted in 2006, while Wilson and Carlson helped lead the team in 2018 to their first-ever Stanley Cup.
Carlson is playing in his 15th season with the Capitals, having scored 142 goals and 482 assists for 624 points through 930 games up to this point. Wilson is playing in his 11th season with the Capitals, having scored 128 goals and adding 168 assists for 296 points through 683 games and recently signed a massive seven-year extension with the team, solidifying him as a lifelong Capital. Backstrom is playing in his 17th season with the Capitals, and has solidified himself as one of the greatest Capitals of all time. He has 1,100 games played with 271 goals and 761 assists for 1,032 points.
Darcy Kuemper
For the fifth player that won’t be moved this season, we look at starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper. He is in the second season of the five-year contract he signed with the Capitals after winning a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, and showed in his first season that he still has the ability to lead his team to victory and backstop them to a championship, with the right team in front of him. So far during his tenure, he hasn’t had the strength needed in front of him to really stand out as a Vezina Trophy candidate, but he is one of the best goalies in the league, without a doubt.
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Last season, Kuemper started 56 games for the Capitals, finishing the season with a 22-26-7 record. He posted a .909 save percentage (SV%) and had a 2.87 goals-against average (GAA) in those games. In his career, he has played in 358 games winning 166 of them, has 30 shutouts, and has posted a 2.55 GAA and a .916 SV%. He will be one of the keys to the Capitals’ success in the near future.
Rasmus Sandin & TJ Oshie
For the last two players that won’t be traded, we look at Rasmus Sandin, who was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, and TJ Oshie who is an aging veteran that is loved in the dressing room. The argument can be made that if the Capitals decide to rebuild, they would move Oshie at the deadline to a contending team to bring in some extra assets. But, the Capitals show no signs of rebuilding, so I don’t see them moving Oshie this season. As far as Sandin goes, he has been the team’s second-best defenseman since being brought in via trade, and won’t be going anywhere.
While not yet having played a full season in the NHL, Sandin showed signs of being a future star in the NHL. In 19 games after being traded to the Caps last season, he scored three goals and added 12 assists for 15 points through 19 games. Throughout his career, he has scored 13 goals and added 50 assists for 63 points through 162 games split between the Capitals and Maple Leafs.
Oshie has only played for two teams in his career, having won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals back in 2018 after moving on just three seasons before from the St. Louis Blues. In 961 career games, Oshie has scored 290 goals and added 380 assists for 670 points, and continues to provide a strong and physical two-way game on a nightly basis.
While anything can happen in the NHL, I don’t see any of these seven players being traded this season. They all play huge parts on this Capitals team and any of them leaving would hurt the team overall. While it’s been a slow start to their 2023-24 campaign, I would expect a massive turnaround as the team quickly learns a new system under their brand-new coach Spencer Carbery. Hopefully, these seven can help lead the Capitals back to glory and into the playoff picture and push for the franchise’s second Stanley Cup.