NHL News: Alex Ovechkin, Capitals hear encouraging promise from GM Chris Patrick after quiet free agency

Getting back into the mix of top title contenders is a must for the Washington Capitals — especially after falling short of that goal last NHL season. To make that happen, team GM Chris Patrick knows that one of the keys will be surrounding their star, Alex Ovechkin, with the best possible support.

The big debate now centers on which players might eventually join Spencer Carbery’s team, especially since the franchise is currently experiencing one of its quietest NHL offseasons in recent memory.

In a recent conversation with the press, Patrick himself stated that his approach to adding new talent will be meticulous and intelligent, with the possibility of bringing interesting names into the roster.

“We’ll explore the trade market, see what’s out there,” Patrick said via NHL.com. “We’ve sent a lot of picks out the last few weeks, so we’re going to have to make sure we’re prudent with how we do it, but I think there potentially could be some interesting names out there.

Logan Thompson #48 of the Washington Capitals spits water during a break in his game against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game Five of the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on May 15, 2025 in Washington, DC.

“I’ve seen some of the media reports thinking this could be a very busy offseason trade-wise. I’m not exactly sure of the basis for that. I think a lot of teams are in a decent spot cap-wise, but we’ll see what happens.”

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NHL News: Capitals GM Chris Patrick explains why they couldn’t pair Alex Ovechkin with Nikolaj Ehlers this offseason

Confident in what they have right now

Although the offseason has been relatively quiet so far for the Capitals, Chris Patrick remains confident that the moves made during the regular season were positive. He believes the team has the pieces in place to make a strong push moving forward.

“I think we did a lot of our free agency work [during] the season, re-signing guys like Chychrun, (forward Nic) Dowd, Logan and [goalie Charlie Lindgren],” Patrick said. “Bringing ‘Beau’ back I think is huge for our group. He’s a versatile guy who can move around the lineup. He showed he’s got chemistry with all four of our lines and we have some cap space now.

He also added: “We have some young kids that are going to get a good opportunity to compete for a spot in camp and we’ll see where it goes.”

Capitals hope to count on Sonny Milano

After suffering a season-ending upper-body injury against the Nashville Predators late last year, Sonny Milano saw limited time on the ice. Despite that, there’s growing optimism within the Capitals organization that he’ll be available again in the near future.

“I actually talked to Sonny a few weeks ago and he feels good,” the GM said. “He’s preparing to be a player for us in training camp. He was doing some offseason traveling and then he’s going to get back into skating a little earlier than he normally does and he was excited. He’s ready to go.”