After an impressive offseason for the Washington Capitals saw them bolster their forward core and make them true contenders in the Eastern Conference, fans are excited to see what they can accomplish this season.
Aside from Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and some other Capitals forwards who will be huge helps at both ends of the ice in hopes of pushing them into a deep playoff run, there’s one name that has seemingly gone under the radar over the last little while.
Aliaksei Protas has quickly become one of the Capitals’ key offensive producers, and he will be looking to build on what were two solid back-to-back campaigns. In the 2024-25 season, he scored 30 goals and added 36 assists for 66 points through 76 games.
Last season, he scored 25 goals and added 27 assists for 52 points through 76 games. Throughout his entire career, he had scored 68 goals and added 103 assists for 171 points through 321 games, which comes out to a 0.53 points-per-game average.
With 25 goals last season, Protas finished fourth on the Capitals in goals behind Ovechkin, Wilson, and Jakob Chychrun. With 52 points, he finished fifth on the team behind those three and Dylan Strome.
With that in mind, it’s worth noting that Protas is just 32 goals away from reaching 100 goals in his career. While his current career-high in goals is just 30, it seems like a season where his linemates will be better, and he will be able to elevate his game as he continues to come into his prime.
He would be reaching a career-high, but with how he’s been developing and how he’s been trending strongly as an offensive creator, it’s hard to see a world where he doesn’t hit that milestone this season.
Protas could be Capitals’ X-Factor this season
While a lot of focus is on Ovechkin, Wilson, and the new guys in Kyrou and Tuch, an elevated season from Protas could be one of the key factors to the Capitals’ success this season.
Protas finding a way to put up 35, even 40 goals could help push the Capitals to the top of the Eastern Conference, while also making them one of the most dominant goalscoring teams in the entire NHL.
The Florida Panthers are the heavy favorites to come out of the East on top this season, but if everything goes right for the Capitals, and that includes Protas elevating yet again, it’s hard to see a world where they don’t make it back to the Stanley Cup Final and push for their second championship in franchise history.
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