Projecting the 2024-25 Washington Capitals Defensive Pairings

The Washington Capitals will play their regular-season home opener against the New Jersey Devils in about a month. Before that big night, the organization has a lot of business to take care of. There is still the Capitals’ rookie camp, which begins on Friday, September 13. Then, training camp begins, with Media Day taking place on September 19. After that, the preseason starts on Sunday, September 22, with a 3:00 P.M. game against the Philadelphia Flyers at Capital One Arena. Head coach Spencer Carbery and his staff will see which players mesh well with others. I made my predictions for the forward lines to start the 2024-25 season. Now, it is time to shift focus to the potential defensive pairings.

Defensive Pairing 1: Jakob Chychrun-John Carlson

This will be the top defensive pairing for the Washington Capitals in 2024-25. I am very confident in saying that. John Carlson has been the face of Washington’s blue line for so many seasons now. He has done it all since being selected by the Capitals in the first round (27th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. In 1,009 games, Carlson has scored 151 goals and registered 523 assists for 674 points. He was also one of the staples in the lineup for the franchise’s run to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018.

Carlson is still a key talent on the back end. In the 2023-24 campaign, he scored 10 goals and produced 42 assists for 52 points in 82 games. He will remain a big factor for Washington this upcoming season, his 16th in the league.

Meanwhile, Jakob Chychrun is about to play in his first campaign in D.C. He suited up for the Arizona Coyotes for parts of seven seasons. He was dealt from the Coyotes to the Ottawa Senators during the 2022-23 season. Chychrun’s tenure in Ottawa was short, but he had stellar offensive stats in 2023-24. In 82 games for the Senators, he scored 14 goals and notched 27 assists for 41 points. Those 41 points tie his career-high in points he had with Arizona in 2020-21. Time will tell throughout this season whether Chychrun reaches his career-high in points again or if he surpasses it. It will be a crucial campaign for him, as his current contract expires in the 2025 offseason.

Defensive Pairing 2: Rasmus Sandin-Matt Roy

Like with the top pairing, I am confident that the Capitals’ second pairing will be Rasmus Sandin and Matt Roy. Sandin joined Washington in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2022-23 season. The Capitals acquired him in exchange for defenseman Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 first-round pick. Since arriving in D.C., Sandin registered the following stats:

• 2022-23: three goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 19 games
• 2023-24: three goals and 20 assists for 23 points in 68 games

Sandin does not score many goals per season, but he racks up assists which will be beneficial to his teammates he is on the ice with. Overall, he has 227 games of experience between the Leafs and Capitals. He has 16 goals and 70 assists for 86 points. At 24 years old, he still has many seasons to come in his career and a good chance to grow his game to become a better talent. He is already a crucial piece to the blue line, and it will be interesting how he does for Washington in 2024-25.

Washington Capitals’ Rasmus Sandin skates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings Monday, March 6, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Roy, meanwhile, was brought in by former Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan on a six-year contract worth $34.5 million. He played his entire career with the Los Angeles Kings prior to being a free agent this summer. While playing in L.A., he produced the following:

• 2018-19: two goals and four assists for six points in 25 games
• 2019-20: four goals and 14 assists for 18 points in 70 games
• 2020-21: two goals and eight assists for 10 points in 44 games
• 2021-22: two goals and 19 assists for 21 points in 67 games
• 2022-23: nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 82 games
• 2023-24: five goals and 20 assists for 25 points in 81 games

Roy can potentially get some more offensive production from the change of scenery to Washington. It would not be surprising if he hits a career-high in points. I think that Roy and Sandin can be a nice second pairing that follows up what Carlson and Chychrun do on the first pairing, That top-four defense core should be pretty good for the Capitals.

Defensive Pairing 3: Martin Fehervary-Trevor van Riemsdyk

I recently wrote about the potential defensemen who could grab the two third-pairing defensive roles and the extra defender. Out of all of the names mentioned, in my opinion, Martin Fehervary and Trevor van Riemsdyk will make up the third pairing on the blue line. They both have quite a few games under their belts, and are more experienced than Alexander Alexeyev and Vincent Iorio. Fehervary has played in 218 games, where he scored 17 goals and accrued 33 assists for 50 points. Trevor van Riemsdyk, meanwhile, has suited up for a total of 601 regular season games between Washington, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Carolina Hurricanes. In that span, he scored 24 goals and 102 assists for 126 points.

Fehervary and van Riemsdyk provide significant depth to the Capitals’ blue line. They reinforce the backend as the two on the third pairing. I expect more of the same kind of play from them as they have done for Washington over the prior seasons. They both are not known for providing as much offense to their game like the other names mentioned on this blue line, but they can handle their defensive roles respectively. These two finish off the top-six defenders who will play for Washington in 2024-25. They will have an extra defender on their roster as well though.

Extra Defenseman: Alexander Alexeyev

Of the remaining defensemen available on Washington, I believe the one who takes the extra spot is Alexander Alexeyev. Veteran Ethan Bear could also take this spot, but I have a feeling the Capitals may start him down in the AHL with the Hershey Bears. Current general manager Chris Patrick may have Bear as one of the first blueliner call-ups if needed. I expect Vincent Iorio to start the season in Hershey as well. He is another defender who should eventually see NHL action in 2024-25.

Alexeyev has played in parts of three campaigns for the Capitals for a total of 72 games. He has a goal and seven assists for eight points in that period of games. The 24-year-old will be gaining more responsibility and experience with the more NHL games under his belt. I think Carbery and his staff will give him more games this season to further his growth. Time will tell how well he does with more playing time this upcoming campaign. He has the opportunity to become a defensive staple himself.