Coming off of a season where the Washington Capitals won the lauded Metropolitan Division last year, they opened the 2025-26 season on October 8, at home, with a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. It was not the start they were hoping for against an Original Six team in a rebuild.
Since that night, the Capitals have won five of their last six games with a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday afternoon as their only setback. Trailing 4-0 in the second period, they rallied but fell short. As they have done so many times in previous seasons, they were able to rebound with a win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.
With the memory of the season-opening loss in the rearview mirror, Washington has been on a roll and CBS Sports is taking notice.
Capitals vaulting up CBS Sports power rankings behind young star
CBS Sports released its latest power rankings, and the Capitals moved up five spots from 11th to sixth. They are behind the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, and Winnipeg Jets. According to Austin Nivision, young star Aliakesi Protas is leading the way through seven games.
""Aliaksei Protas seems determined to build upon his 66-point showing last season with eight points in his first seven games. A 6-foot-6 and 250-pound tank, Protas is a treat to watch when he gets going. I recommend queuing up some Capitals games soon""Austin Nivision
Protas has been one of the Capitals' best players this year. He is tied with Tom Wilson, who is making waves early in the season, with a team-leading four goals, and he also has four assists. He picked up two in the win over the Kraken.
He brings a lot of versatility to coach Spencer Carbery in the lineup and plays in all situations, and his teammates are noticing. Protas is poised to build off of his breakout 2024-25 season and top it in 2025-26. He's off to a good start in doing that on a team that is primed for a big run this season.