Capitals News & Rumors: Ovechkin Retirement, Dowd, Playoff Doubt?

This season, Ovechkin broke the record and now officially has the most goals scored by anyone in NHL history during the regular season. He finished the regular season with 44 goals and added 29 assists for 73 points through 65 games, and has reached 897 career goals and 1623 career points through 1491 games heading into the 2025-26 season, and it seems as though he is going to be the first player in NHL history to reach 900 goals.

Capitals Extend Nic Dowd

On Wednesday (Apr. 16), the Capitals announced they had re-signed forward Nic Dowd with a two-year contract extension, which will carry a $3 million average annual value.

Dowd, who is 34 years old, scored 14 goals and added 13 assists for 27 points through 82 games this season. Throughout his career split between the Capitals, Los Angeles Kings, and Vancouver Canucks, he has scored 84 goals and added 92 assists for 176 points through 582 games. He has established himself as an elite two-way player who can be a trusted bottom-six forward, earning him the new deal.

Critics Doubt Capitals in First Round?

The Capitals are the favorites in their series against the Canadiens, but it seems as though there is growing belief they could get upset and be eliminated in the first round. While they had a slow finish to their regular season, the criticisms following the Capitals include their consistency and questions about whether the Habs have a deeper lineup.

The Canadiens did get some reinforcements with Ivan Demidov joining their team for their final two regular-season games, where he notched two points, and it seems as though he could be an X-factor if the Canadiens want to pull off an upset.

The Capitals’ lack of playoff success over the past couple of seasons makes the criticisms understandable, but their current lineup seems to be the deepest they have had since their previous Stanley Cup victory in 2018. Pierre-Luc Dubois and Jakob Chychrun have bounced back in a big way, their goaltending tandem is elite, they have solid defensive pieces, and their offensive depth is stronger than the Canadiens.

At the end of the day, they should get to the second round after five or six games. Not to take anything away from the Habs, who have earned the opportunity to play in the postseason, but they don’t quite have the all-around strength to be considered a candidate to upset the Metropolitan Division champions. If anything, the Capitals should use the doubt as motivation as they look to make a deep run and cap off an electric 2024-25 campaign.

As the 2024-25 postseason moves along, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news from around the NHL and the hockey world.