The Washington Capitals have had a number of great players over the years. Let’s take a look at the best of them.
The Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals have had many great players don the Capitals Sweater in their 45 seasons. From the Ovechkin’s to the Yvon Labre’s and everyone in between.
For a franchise that has a long and respected history in the NHL, it took many talented players to establish the franchise into the year-to-year contenders they are now.
Honorable Mentions
Mike Green (D) 2004-2015: Drafted by the Capitals 29th overall in 2004, Green was part of the rejuvenation of hockey in the Nation’s Capital. Green helped the Capitals to eight playoff appearances in 10 seasons. He scored 113 goals and 247 assists in 575 regular season games.
Mike Gartner (RW) 1979-1989: Drafted 4th overall by the Capitals in 1979, Gartner would score 397 goals and 392 assists in 10 seasons. He would go on to be inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2001 and his number 11 would be retired by the Capitals in 2008.
Dale Hunter (C) 1987-1999: Acquired by the Capitals along with Clint Malachuk in 1987 from the Nordiques, Hunter would go on to help the Capitals reach their first Stanley Cup Finals in 1998. During his career with the Caps, Hunter would score 181 goals and 375 assists in 872 games.
The Capitals retired his number 32 in March 2000. Hunter would return to the Caps in 2011 as an interim coach taking over for Bruce Boudreau during the 2011-12 Season. He would be replaced by Adam Oates after the season.
T.J. Oshie (RW) 2015-Present: Ever since his arrival from St. Louis in 2015, Oshie has become a huge role player for the Stanley Cup Champions. He has scored 86 goals and 82 assists in 240 games, including 15 game-winning goals.
Oshie will have a long time to establish himself as one of the great Caps of All-Time after signing an eight-year $46 million contract prior to the 2017-18 season.
Evgeny Kuznetsov (C) 2013-Present: in six seasons Kuznetsov has become a focal point of the Washington Capitals. During the Stanley Cup run, Kuzy contributed 12 goals and 20 assists, including one of the biggest goals in Caps history, which sent the Capitals to the Eastern Conference Finals.