Washington Capitals

Lore & Background

The franchise was founded in 1974 as an expansion team, alongside the Kansas City Scouts, and struggled throughout its first eight years of existence. Beginning in 1982, with a core of players such as Mike Gartner, Rod Langway, Larry Murphy, and Scott Stevens, they became a regular playoff contender for the next 14 seasons. After purchasing the team in 1999, Leonsis revitalized the franchise by drafting star players such as Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Braden Holtby, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson. In the 2009–10 season, the Capitals won the franchise's first Presidents' Trophy for being the team with the most points at the end of the regular season. They won it a second time in 2015–16, and for a third time the following season in 2016–17. In addition to 14 division titles and three Presidents' Trophies, the Capitals have reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1998 and 2018, winning the latter in five games against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Reader's Guide

The Capitals have retired the use of four numbers in honor of four players. In addition, the team holds an association with a number of individuals inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Capitals are affiliated with two minor league teams: the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League and the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL.

Did You Know?

• The Capitals' inaugural season in 1974–75 set NHL records in futility, finishing with an 8–67–5 record and a .131 winning percentage, the worst in NHL history.
• The team name was decided via a contest in which 12,000 entries were given to owner Abe Pollin; other names included the Comets, Cyclones, Streaks, and Domes.
• In 1982, the Capitals traded captain Ryan Walter and Rick Green to the Montreal Canadiens for Rod Langway, Brian Engblom, Doug Jarvis and Craig Laughlin, a trade that helped turn the franchise around.

Season Overview and Playoff Run

The 2021–22 season was the 48th for the Washington Capitals, a franchise established on June 11, 1974. The Capitals clinched a playoff spot on April 17, 2022, after the New York Islanders lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs. As the eighth seed, they faced the Presidents' Trophy-winning Florida Panthers in the first round. The Panthers defeated the Capitals in six games. The regular season schedule had been released on July 22, 2021.

Roster Turnover and Transaction Activity

During the 2021–22 season, the Capitals made transactions including trades, signings, and player movements. One trade involved a conditional pick: Arizona would receive a third-round pick in 2024 if Colorado won the 2022 Stanley Cup and goaltender Darcy Kuemper played in 50% of their playoff games; otherwise, no pick would be exchanged. Player statistics as of April 29, 2022, noted that a dagger (†) denoted a player who spent time with another team before joining the Capitals, with stats reflecting only Capitals time. A double dagger (‡) denoted a player traded mid-season, with stats reflecting only Capitals time. Bold or italics denoted a franchise record.

Draft Strategy and Future Planning

The Capitals made selections at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, held virtually on July 23–24, 2021, from the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey. The draft was conducted via video conference call. The specific players selected are not detailed in the source.