The Washington Capitals’ misfortune with the injury bug late in the 2024-25 season reinforced how valuable depth is in the NHL. Forward Aliaksei Protas was slowly worked back into the Stanley Cup Playoff lineup after he was cut by a skate on April 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Five games later, Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary suffered a season-ending knee injury after blocking a shot against the New York Islanders on April 15. Both of those last injuries had an impact on Washington’s postseason run in 2025. With that in mind, here are three unrestricted free agents who could provide some valuable depth should Washington want to secure some additional reinforcements before the start of the 2025-26 season.Â
Jack Roslovic
The Capitals saw Jack Roslovic’s impact up close and personal during their Round 2 matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes in May as the center scored his only playoff goal in a 4-0 Game 3 Hurricanes victory. Roslovic finished the postseason with four points in nine postseason games for Carolina; however, the forward finds himself still on the free agent market in mid-August. Â
Roslovic, 28, played on a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Hurricanes in 2024-25. Washington’s cap space is sitting just above $4 million, which makes that number a little on the high side for them to take on. However, there is no denying that Roslovic can still play in the NHL after amassing 39 points in 81 games last season and 102 goals and 260 points in 526-career games. With center depth at a premium in the NHL, Roslovic should find a role somewhere in the NHL this season, so why not Washington? If the veteran forward is willing to lower his asking price, there might be a fit in the Nation’s Capital.
Victor Olofsson
Victor Olofsson, 30, recorded 29 points in 56 regular-season games with the Vegas Golden Knights last season. The 5-foot-11 winger also amassed four points in nine playoff contests as Vegas was stopped in Round 2 by the Edmonton Oilers. That brought closure to the one-year, $1.075 million contract he signed with Vegas in July 2024.Â
Olofsson could provide the Capitals a natural goal-scoring winger on a cheap contract. It was only a few seasons ago he was a back-to-back 20-goal scorer in the NHL, with 20 goals in 2021-22 and 28 in 2022-23 as a member of the Buffalo Sabres. In his career, Olofsson has scored 105 goals and tallied 211 points in 370 games.
While he is no longer the top-six force in the lineup, the NHL veteran could be a valuable player with the ability to slide up the lineup if the situation calls for it, like Anthony Beauvillier did during the playoffs in Washington.Â
Matt Grzelcyk
Matt Grzelcyk, 31, signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 2024-25 season, and had the best offensive seasons of his career with 40 points in 82 games. His 39 assists nearly doubled his career best, which was 22 assists for the Boston Bruins in 2022-23. Still, Grzelcyk finds himself seeking a new deal in August.Â
Adding Grzelcyk could help mitigate the problem Washington faced last season when Alexander Alexeyev was not ready for consistent time in head coach Spencer Carbery’s lineup during the playoffs. He played 10 games but recorded no points and a minus-2 rating. While there might not be space on a set Capitals defensive unit currently, an NHL veteran like Grzelcyk could be invaluable if injuries plague Washington in 2025-26. After spending much of the last decade in Boston, the defenseman has 66 games of postseason experience to lean on, which could prove valuable to a squad with Stanley Cup aspirations in 2025-26.Â
Related: Diving Deep: Bruins’ Matt Grzelcyk the Hometown Kid
After injuries late in 2024-25 derailed a promising full-season effort general manager Chris Patrick will not be caught off guard again in 2025-26. Whether it is a late free-agent contract, a training camp try-out, or an in-season trade acquisition, the Capitals will do everything in their power to ensure the lineup is better prepared to handle injury problems this season and beyond.Â
