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Martin Fehervary, Washington Capitals (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Capitals Are Counting on Underrated Fehervary in 2025-26

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Frank Mills | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 10:15 AM ET

Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary signed a seven-year $42 million contract extension on July 1, the first day he was eligible to do so, signaling a mutual commitment between the team and its player for his services starting in 2026-27 and ending in the 2032-33 season, when he will be 33 years old.

It’s no wonder the Capitals were eager to get the 25-year-old Slovak signed quickly, as he put up career highs last season in assists and points, but more importantly, showed how much his absence impacted the team in the playoffs. The Capitals were outmatched by the Carolina Hurricanes, losing in five games.

A Badly-Timed Injury

In an April 15 game against the New York Islanders, the 82nd of the 2024-25 season, Fehervary tore the meniscus in his right knee while attempting to block a shot. The injury would keep him sidelined for the entirety of the Capitals’ playoff run. Fehervary underwent surgery in April and was expected to recover in time to begin his preparations for the 2025-26 season.

The injury came at the end of a career year for Fehervary, who set personal highs for assists (20), points (25), and plus/minus rating (plus-18). He was paired with Matt Roy since December, and the duo were highly effective at shutting down the opposition’s top lines. When Fehervary was on the ice, his team posted positive differentials in goals, scoring chances, and high-danger chances. He led his team in short-handed ice time per game and ranked fourth in the NHL in time on the penalty kill.

Without Fehervary in the lineup, the Capitals struggled against the Hurricanes’ high-powered offense. The Capitals subbed in Alex Alexeyev, but had to limit his ice time, increasing the workload for John Carlson, Matt Roy, Jakob Chychrun, and Rasmus Sandin.

“I think we knew, our players knew, our staff knew, that when we lost Marty, and I don’t think the rest of the hockey world really knows, how significant of a player he is for our team,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said after the series. “He does a lot of things that go unnoticed, and so we knew it was a significant blow to our back end.”

An Underrated Asset

Fehervary was selected in the second round, 46th overall, in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. At the age of 15, he left home to play in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), where he played for Malmo, IK Oskarshamn, and HV71. Following the conclusion of the SHL’s 2018-19 season, Fehervary made the jump to North America.

The Bratislava, Slovakia native quickly established himself as a first-pair defenseman on the Capitals’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hershey Bears. In 2019-20, he was called up to Washington in October and again in February before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the NHL season to be paused. He spent the next pandemic-shortened season in Hershey. Since the 2021-22 season, Fehervary has been a mainstay on the Capitals’ blue line, playing in at least 65 games each year. His consistency and dependability have made him a valuable asset.

He doesn’t jump off the page with offensive numbers, but in terms of his defensive play, he brings physicality, mobility, and solid hockey sense. His top skating speed was the fastest on his team and in the 95th percentile for all NHL defensemen. He finished third on the team in hits and first for defensemen (139) as well as second for blocked shots (150) last season. Carbery has called Fehervary the “unsung hero of the team.”

Fehervary has considerable international experience as well, playing for the Slovak national team at the 2016 and 2017 IIHF U18 World Championships, the 2017, 2018, and 2019 World Junior Championships, and at the World Championship from 2018 to 2024. This summer, he was one of the first six players named to Slovakia’s roster for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy.

Expected Return in 2025-26

The 6-foot-2 defenseman received surgery on his torn meniscus in April, with projections having him back on the ice in July. Capitals general manager Chris Patrick commented in June that Fehervary was right on time to begin his offseason training, calling him “a machine,” but Fehervary later said that his recovery was lagging due to lingering inflammation and pain. He began skating in early September with his teammates in informal sessions at the Capitals’ practice facility.

Fehervary began training camp on Sept. 18 wearing a non-contact jersey, commenting that he felt 80-90% healthy. Five days later, he donned a regular practice jersey. He did not play in the Capitals’ first four preseason games, but according to Carbery, he is an option for their Thursday, Oct. 2 game against the Boston Bruins.

“Right now, [I’m] just trying to get [into] shape, skating as much as possible, and get that knee kind of used to that hard work and skating again,” Fehervary said. “The game is going to be simple. So just doing small things right and trying to be helpful and be in the right position always.”

Expectations for 2025-26

The Capitals are counting on a healthy Fehervary to be consistently solid on the back end, playing a top-four role. He has shown success as the defensive balance to John Carlson’s offensive dash, as well as a hard-hitting shutdown man playing with Roy.

Fehervary’s dependability on the penalty kill has also made him a highly prized asset. The Capitals finished at 82% with men-down, fifth-best in the NHL. Fehervary was a big reason for this, skating in 63% of the Capitals’ short-handed minutes.

He blocks shots, hits hard, and brings a ton of grit and heart, which is exactly what is needed for success in the NHL playoffs. If the Capitals are as successful as they were last season, look for them to go further in the playoffs with a healthy Fehervary.