# 2022–23 Washington Capitals season

The 2022–23 Washington Capitals season was the 49th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974. The Capitals missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2013–14 season (and only the second time since 2006–07 and changing their colors back to a more patriotic color scheme), ending their eight-season playoff streak, being eliminated from playoff contention on April 4, 2023, after the Florida Panthers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2–1. The Capitals ended a streak of 15 consecutive winning seasons, one of twelve NHL teams to ever have a streak that long.

## Standings
### Divisional standings

Metropolitan Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 52 | 21 | 9 | 39 | 266 | 213 | +53 | 113 |
| 2 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 52 | 22 | 8 | 39 | 291 | 226 | +65 | 112 |
| 3 | New York Rangers | 82 | 47 | 22 | 13 | 37 | 277 | 219 | +58 | 107 |
| 4 | New York Islanders | 82 | 42 | 31 | 9 | 36 | 243 | 222 | +21 | 93 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 31 | 262 | 264 | −2 | 91 |
| 6 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 27 | 255 | 265 | −10 | 80 |
| 7 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 31 | 38 | 13 | 26 | 222 | 277 | −55 | 75 |
| 8 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 25 | 48 | 9 | 15 | 214 | 330 | −116 | 59 |

### Conference standings

Eastern Conference Wild Card :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | ME | x – New York Islanders | 82 | 42 | 31 | 9 | 36 | 243 | 222 | +21 | 93 |
| 2 | AT | x – Florida Panthers | 82 | 42 | 32 | 8 | 36 | 290 | 273 | +17 | 92 |
| 3 | ME | e – Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 31 | 262 | 264 | −2 | 91 |
| 4 | AT | e – Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 42 | 33 | 7 | 30 | 296 | 300 | −4 | 91 |
| 5 | AT | e – Ottawa Senators | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 31 | 261 | 271 | −10 | 86 |
| 6 | AT | e – Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 28 | 240 | 279 | −39 | 80 |
| 7 | ME | e – Washington Capitals | 82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 27 | 255 | 265 | −10 | 80 |
| 8 | ME | e – Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 31 | 38 | 13 | 26 | 222 | 277 | −55 | 75 |
| 9 | AT | e – Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 31 | 45 | 6 | 21 | 232 | 307 | −75 | 68 |
| 10 | ME | e – Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 25 | 48 | 9 | 15 | 214 | 330 | −116 | 59 |

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

The regular season schedule was released on July 6, 2022.
2022–23 game log :
October: 5–4–1 (home: 3–1–0; road: 2–3–1)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
1October 12Boston Bruins2–5Kuemper18,5730–1–00
2October 13@ Toronto Maple Leafs2–3Lindgren18,9140–2–00
3October 15Montreal Canadiens3–1Kuemper18,5731–2–02
4October 17Vancouver Canucks6–4Kuemper18,5732–2–04
5October 20@ Ottawa Senators2–5Kuemper14,2102–3–04
6October 22Los Angeles Kings4–3Kuemper18,5733–3–06
7October 24@ New Jersey Devils6–3Lindgren11,4054–3–08
8October 27@ Dallas Stars0–2Kuemper18,2354–4–08
9October 29@ Nashville Predators3–0Kuemper17,1595–4–010
10October 31@ Carolina Hurricanes2–3SOKuemper16,2115–4–111 :
November: 5–7–2 (home: 4–3–1; road: 1–4–1)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
11November 1Vegas Golden Knights2–3OTLindgren18,5735–4–212
12November 3@ Detroit Red Wings1–3Kuemper18,5275–5–212
13November 5Arizona Coyotes2–3Kuemper18,5735–6–212
14November 7Edmonton Oilers5–4Lindgren18,5736–6–214
15November 9Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Kuemper18,5736–7–214
16November 11Tampa Bay Lightning5–1Kuemper18,5737–7–216
17November 13@ Tampa Bay Lightning3–6Kuemper19,0927–8–216
18November 15@ Florida Panthers2–5Kuemper13,8137–9–216
19November 17@ St. Louis Blues4–5SOLindgren18,0967–9–317
20November 19Colorado Avalanche0–4Kuemper18,5737–10–317
21November 23Philadelphia Flyers3–2OTKuemper18,5738–10–319
22November 25Calgary Flames3–0Kuemper18,5739–10–321
23November 26@ New Jersey Devils1–5Lindgren16,5149–11–321
24November 29@ Vancouver Canucks5–1Kuemper18,17910–11–323 :
December: 11–2–2 (home: 5–1–1; road: 6–1–1)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
25December 1@ Seattle Kraken2–3OTKuemper17,15110–11–424
26December 3@ Calgary Flames2–5Lindgren18,69810–12–424
27December 5@ Edmonton Oilers3–2Lindgren17,26411–12–426
28December 7@ Philadelphia Flyers4–1Lindgren16,82612–12–428
29December 9Seattle Kraken4–1Lindgren18,57313–12–430
30December 11@ Winnipeg Jets5–2Lindgren14,09614–12–432
31December 13@ Chicago Blackhawks7–3Lindgren16,18115–12–434
32December 15Dallas Stars1–2Lindgren18,57315–13–434
33December 17Toronto Maple Leafs5–2Lindgren18,57316–13–436
34December 19Detroit Red Wings4–3OTLindgren18,57317–13–438
35December 22@ Ottawa Senators3–2OTKuemper17,23118–13–440
36December 23Winnipeg Jets4–1Lindgren18,57319–13–442
37December 27@ New York Rangers4–0Kuemper18,00620–13–444
38December 29Ottawa Senators3–4OTKuemper18,57320–13–545
39December 31Montreal Canadiens9–2Lindgren18,57321–13–547 :
January: 6–7–1 (home: 2–3–1; road: 4–4–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
40January 3Buffalo Sabres4–5OTKuemper18,57321–13–648
41January 5@ Columbus Blue Jackets6–2Kuemper17,92422–13–650
42January 6Nashville Predators2–3Lindgren18,57322–14–650
43January 8Columbus Blue Jackets1–0Kuemper18,57323–14–652
44January 11@ Philadelphia Flyers3–5Kuemper17,35223–15–652
45January 14Philadelphia Flyers1–3Kuemper18,57323–16–652
46January 16@ New York Islanders4–3OTKuemper16,34424–16–654
47January 17Minnesota Wild2–4Lindgren18,57324–17–654
48January 19@ Arizona Coyotes4–0Kuemper4,60025–17–656
49January 21@ Vegas Golden Knights2–6Kuemper18,25125–18–656
50January 24@ Colorado Avalanche2–3Kuemper18,13225–19–656
51January 26Pittsburgh Penguins3–2SOKuemper18,57326–19–658
52January 29@ Toronto Maple Leafs1–5Kuemper18,59326–20–658
53January 31@ Columbus Blue Jackets4–3OTLindgren17,87927–20–660 :
February: 2–7–0 (home: 1–5–0; road: 1–2–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
54February 11@ Boston Bruins2–1Kuemper17,85028–20–662
55February 12San Jose Sharks1–4Lindgren18,57328–21–662
56February 14Carolina Hurricanes2–3Kuemper18,57328–22–662
57February 16Florida Panthers3–6Kuemper18,57328–23–662
58February 18@ Carolina Hurricanes1–4Kuemper56,961 (outdoors)28–24–662
59February 21Detroit Red Wings1–3Kuemper18,57328–25–662
60February 23Anaheim Ducks2–4Lindgren18,57328–26–662
61February 25New York Rangers6–3Kuemper18,57329–26–664
62February 26@ Buffalo Sabres4–7Kuemper19,07029–27–664 :
March: 5–6–3 (home: 2–1–3; road: 3–5–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
63March 1@ Anaheim Ducks3–2OTKuemper14,27930–27–666
64March 4@ San Jose Sharks8–3Kuemper17,56231–27–668
65March 6@ Los Angeles Kings2–4Kuemper17,57731–28–668
66March 9New Jersey Devils2–3SOKuemper18,57331–28–769
67March 11@ New York Islanders5–1Kuemper17,25532–28–771
68March 14@ New York Rangers3–5Kuemper17,47632–29–771
69March 15Buffalo Sabres5–4SOLindgren18,57333–29–773
70March 17St. Louis Blues2–5Kuemper18,57333–30–773
71March 19@ Minnesota Wild3–5Lindgren19,23133–31–773
72March 21Columbus Blue Jackets6–7OTLindgren18,57333–31–874
73March 23Chicago Blackhawks6–1Kuemper18,57334–31–876
74March 25@ Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Kuemper18,45634–32–876
75March 29New York Islanders1–2SOKuemper18,57334–32–977
76March 30@ Tampa Bay Lightning1–5Kuemper19,09234–33–977 :
April: 1–4–1 (home: 1–2–1; road: 0–2–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
77April 2New York Rangers2–5Kuemper18,57334–34–977
78April 6@ Montreal Canadiens2–6Kuemper21,10534–35–977
79April 8Florida Panthers2–4Lindgren18,57334–36–977
80April 10New York Islanders5–2Kuemper18,57335–36–979
81April 11@ Boston Bruins2–5Lindgren17,85035–37–979
82April 13New Jersey Devils4–5OTKuemper18,57335–37–1080 :
Win (2 Points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics

Final Statistics

### Skaters

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Alexander Ovechkin | 73 | 42 | 33 | 75 | –16 | 48 |
| Dylan Strome | 81 | 23 | 42 | 65 | –4 | 24 |
| Evgeny Kuznetsov | 81 | 12 | 43 | 55 | –26 | 56 |
| Erik Gustafsson$^‡$ | 61 | 7 | 31 | 38 | +9 | 21 |
| Conor Sheary | 82 | 15 | 22 | 37 | +9 | 22 |
| T. J. Oshie | 58 | 19 | 16 | 35 | –18 | 59 |
| Sonny Milano$^†$ | 64 | 11 | 22 | 33 | –5 | 18 |
| John Carlson | 40 | 9 | 20 | 29 | –7 | 12 |
| Nick Jensen | 77 | 5 | 24 | 29 | –1 | 18 |
| Marcus Johansson$^‡$ | 60 | 13 | 15 | 28 | –3 | 8 |
| Anthony Mantha | 67 | 11 | 16 | 27 | –8 | 31 |
| Nic Dowd | 65 | 13 | 12 | 25 | +6 | 26 |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | 75 | 7 | 16 | 23 | +10 | 15 |
| Tom Wilson | 33 | 13 | 9 | 22 | –13 | 78 |
| Nicklas Backstrom | 39 | 7 | 14 | 21 | –25 | 14 |
| Dmitry Orlov$^‡$ | 43 | 3 | 16 | 19 | +2 | 10 |
| Garnet Hathaway$^‡$ | 59 | 9 | 7 | 16 | +6 | 52 |
| Lars Eller$^†$ | 60 | 7 | 9 | 16 | –1 | 36 |
| Martin Fehervary | 67 | 6 | 10 | 16 | –11 | 31 |
| Aliaksei Protas | 58 | 4 | 11 | 15 | –8 | 12 |
| Rasmus Sandin$^†$ | 19 | 3 | 12 | 15 | –7 | 16 |
| Nicolas Aube-Kubel$^†$ | 47 | 4 | 8 | 12 | +2 | 46 |
| Craig Smith$^†$ | 22 | 5 | 1 | 6 | +1 | 4 |
| Matt Irwin | 61 | 2 | 3 | 5 | –8 | 36 |
| Alexander Alexeyev | 32 | 0 | 5 | 5 | –2 | 4 |
| Joe Snively | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | +3 | 0 |
| Beck Malenstyn | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Gabriel Carlsson | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | –1 | 0 |
| Vincent Iorio | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dylan McIlrath | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | –6 | 7 |
| Connor McMichael | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Henrik Borgstrom | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lucas Johansen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Connor Brown | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –3 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Darcy Kuemper | 57 | 56 | 3,223:47 | 22 | 26 | 7 | 154 | 2.87 | 1.674 | .909 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Charlie Lindgren | 31 | 26 | 1,692:04 | 13 | 11 | 3 | 86 | 3.05 | 853 | .899 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Capitals. Stats reflect time with the Capitals only. $^‡$No longer with the Capitals.

## Transactions

The Capitals have been involved in the following transactions during the 2022–23 season.
Key:
† Contract is entry-level.  ‡ Contract initially takes effect in the 2023–24 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| July 8, 2022 (2022-07-08) | To New Jersey DevilsVitek Vanecek 2nd-round pick in 2022 | To Washington Capitals2nd-round pick in 2022 3rd-round pick in 2022 |
| July 13, 2022 (2022-07-13) | To Ottawa Senators2nd-round pick in 2024 | To Washington CapitalsConnor Brown |
| February 23, 2023 (2023-02-23) | To Minnesota WildDmitry Orlov$^1$ | To Washington CapitalsAndrei Svetlakov |
| February 23, 2023 (2023-02-23) | To Boston BruinsGarnet Hathaway Andrei Svetlakov | To Washington CapitalsCraig Smith 1st-round pick in 2023 3rd-round pick in 2024 2nd-round pick in 2025 |
| February 28, 2023 (2023-02-28) | To Minnesota WildMarcus Johansson | To Washington Capitals3rd-round pick in 2024 |
| February 28, 2023 (2023-02-28) | To Toronto Maple LeafsErik Gustafsson BOS 1st-round pick in 2023 | To Washington CapitalsRasmus Sandin |
| March 1, 2023 (2023-03-01) | To Colorado AvalancheLars Eller$^1$ | To Washington Capitals2nd-round pick in 2025 |
Notes:
* Washington retains 50% of Orlov's remaining contract.
* Washington retains 31% of Eller's remaining contract.

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| July 13, 2022 (2022-07-13) | Erik Gustafsson | Chicago Blackhawks | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 13, 2022 (2022-07-13) | Darcy Kuemper | Colorado Avalanche | 5-year | Free agency |
| July 13, 2022 (2022-07-13) | Charlie Lindgren | St. Louis Blues | 3-year | Free agency |
| July 14, 2022 (2022-07-14) | Henrik Borgstrom | Chicago Blackhawks | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 14, 2022 (2022-07-14) | Dylan Strome | Chicago Blackhawks | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 20, 2022 (2022-07-20) | Gabriel Carlsson | Columbus Blue Jackets | 1-year | Free agency |
| October 16, 2022 (2022-10-16) | Sonny Milano | Anaheim Ducks | 1-year | Free agency |
| November 5, 2022 (2022-11-05) | Nicolas Aube-Kubel | Toronto Maple Leafs | | Waivers |
| March 2, 2023 (2023-03-02) | Ethen Frank | Hershey Bears (AHL) | 1-year‡ | Free agency |
| March 2, 2023 (2023-03-02) | Hardy Haman Aktell | Vaxjo Lakers HC (SHL) | 1-year†‡ | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Term | Via |
| July 13, 2022 (2022-07-13) | Pheonix Copley | Los Angeles Kings | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 13, 2022 (2022-07-13) | Ilya Samsonov | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 13, 2022 (2022-07-13) | Justin Schultz | Seattle Kraken | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 15, 2022 (2022-07-15) | Brian Pinho | New Jersey Devils | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) | Michal Kempny | Seattle Kraken | 1-year | Free agency |
| August 12, 2022 (2022-08-12) | Johan Larsson | Brynas IF (SHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| August 25, 2022 (2022-08-25) | Shane Gersich | Hershey Bears (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| October 10, 2022 (2022-10-10) | Axel Jonsson-Fjallby | Winnipeg Jets | | Waivers |
| October 10, 2022 (2022-10-10) | Brett Leason | Anaheim Ducks | | Waivers |
| June 26, 2023 (2023-06-26) | Henrik Borgstrom | HV71 (SHL) | 2-year‡ | Free agency |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term |
| July 8, 2022 (2022-07-08) | Lucas Johansen | 2-year |
| July 13, 2022 (2022-07-13) | Marcus Johansson | 1-year |
| July 14, 2022 (2022-07-14) | Matt Irwin | 1-year |
| July 15, 2022 (2022-07-15) | Ludwig Persson | 3-year† |
| July 15, 2022 (2022-07-15) | Alexander Suzdalev | 3-year† |
| February 3, 2023 (2023-02-03) | Dylan Strome | 5-year‡ |
| February 4, 2023 (2023-02-04) | Sonny Milano | 3-year‡ |
| February 28, 2023 (2023-02-28) | Nick Jensen | 3-year‡ |
| March 1, 2023 (2023-03-01) | Ryan Hofer | 3-year†‡ |
| March 3, 2023 (2023-03-03) | Nicolas Aube-Kubel | 1-year‡ |
| May 1, 2023 (2023-05-01) | Ivan Miroshnichenko | 3-year†‡ |
| May 2, 2023 (2023-05-02) | Alexander Alexeyev | 2-year‡ |
| May 8, 2023 (2023-05-08) | Michael Sgarbossa | 2-year‡ |

## Draft picks

Below are the Washington Capitals' selections at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on July 7 to 8, 2022, at Bell Centre in Montreal.
| Round | # | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team (League) |
| 1 | 20 | Ivan Miroshnichenko | LW | Russia | Omskie Krylia (VHL) |
| 2 | 37 | Ryan Chesley | D | USA | U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL) |
| 3 | 70 | Alexander Suzdalev | LW | Sweden | HV71 (J20 Nationell) |
| 3 | 85 | Ludwig Persson | C | Sweden | Frolunda HC (J20 Nationell) |
| 5 | 149 | Jake Karabela | C | Canada | Guelph Storm (OHL) |
| 6 | 181 | Ryan Hofer | C | Canada | Everett Silvertips (WHL) |
| 7 | 213 | David Gucciardi | D | Canada | Michigan State University (B1G) |