The Capitals will return to Lindgren between the pipes on Thursday after the team recorded their first win in their previous outing with Logan Thompson in net. Lindgren struggled in his first contest, allowing four goals on 32 shots (.875 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils. The Capitals enter action on Thursday as +142 home underdogs against a Dallas Stars team that extended their early-season unbeaten record to 4-0-0 after a 3-2 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks.

Sonny Milano will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Vrana to make his season debut. Vrana is in his second stint with the Washington Capitals, the team that drafted him 13th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Now 28 years old, Vrana has struggled to establish himself as an everyday NHLer, despite scoring a respectable 41 points (26G / 15A) in his past 72 games across the last three seasons.

Milano suffered a -3 plus/minus in only 5:52 time-on-ice in Washington's season-opening 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils and will serve as a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights. Jakub Vrana will draw into the lineup for his season debut in favor of Milano.

With Matt Roy expected to miss a "decent amount of time", Dylan McIlrath will step into the Capitals lineup and make his season debut on Tuesday vs. Vegas. The 32-year-old is entering his ninth NHL season but has only appeared in 75 career games across that span, picking up seven points and 133 PIMs.

Thompson will make his Capitals debut on Tuesday against his former team, the Vegas Golden Knights. The 27-year-old Thompson spent his first three seasons with the Golden Knights, posting a solid 2.67 GAA and .912 SV% in 103 appearances (56-32-11). This season, he will likely split time between the pipes in Washington with fellow undrafted netminder, Charlie Lindgren.

Roy exited Saturday's season opener for the Capitals after playing only 8:39 time-on-ice. The 29-year-old Roy signed a six-year contract with the Capitals in the offseason after spending the first six seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Kings.

The Capitals did not provide much of an update on Roy's status post-game other than to say he's "out, lower-body." Expect more clarity on Roy's timeline before Tuesday's game vs. the Golden Knights.

After parting ways with Darcy Kuemper in the offseason, Lindgren has taken over the reins, with Logan Thompson, of the crease for the Washington Capitals. The 30-year-old Lindgren will start the season opener for the Capitals against a New Jersey Devils squad already playing their fourth game of the season. Lindgren had stretches of inconsistency last season but was mostly impressive, posting a 2.67 GAA, .911 SV%, and six shutouts in 50 games (25-16-7). Kuemper had only appeared in 60 total games before last season and is likely to have a heavier workload once again.

Thompson has been away from the team since Monday due to personal reasons but will return to practice on Friday ahead of their season opener on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. Thompson is expected to share the crease with Charlie Lindgren this season, his first with the Capitals.

Vrana has spent the entire training camp with Washington on a PTO and has earned himself a one-year, $775,000 contract on Monday. The 28-year-old left-winger is entering his ninth NHL season and will hope to play in more than 50+ games for the first time since 2019-20. In 21 games with St.Louis in 2023-24, he had two goals, six points and eight PIMs.

It's unclear when Thompson is expected to re-join the Capitals, but their season doesn't open until Saturday, so it's safe to assume he'll be available for their opener. Thompson is expected to share the crease with Charlie Lindgren this season, his first with the Capitals.

Bear was placed on waivers Friday but cleared on Saturday and has been loaned to the Hershey Bears (AHL) for the start of the 2024-25 season. The 27-year-old is in the second year of a two-year, $4.13 million contract and had a goal, four points and 10 PIMs in 24 games played in 2023-24.

Mateiko was Washington's 2024 3rd-round pick (90th overall) and signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday worth $889,167 AAV. The 18-year-old Latvian winger is expected to return to Saint Johns (QMJHL) for his third season of junior hockey after joining the Sea Dogs from Latvia in 2022-23. Mateiko was drafted after putting up 23 goals, 43 points and 20 PIMs in 49 games in 2023-24.

Washington opened training camp on Wednesday with the unfortunate update that T.J. Oshie will begin the season on Long-Term Injured Reserve due to a lingering back issue. The 37-year-old right-winger has not played more than 58 games in a single season since 2019-20 and struggled offensively in 2023-24 with just 12 goals, 25 points, and 44 PIMs in 52 games played.

Muggli was a second-round pick (No.52 overall) in this summer's NHL Draft. The 18-year-old defenseman spent the 2024 season with Zug EV (Switzerland) where he had 12 points (3G / 9A) in 42 games.

Allen was selected in the fifth round (No.136) of the 2023 NHL Draft and spent the 2024 season with the Guelph Storm (OHL). The 19-year-old had two goals and seven assists (nine points) in 25 games in 2023-24.

Parascak was selected No.17 overall in this year's NHL Draft. The 18-year-old winger was eighth in WHL scoring last year with 105 points (43G / 62A) in 68 games with the Prince George Cougars. Expect him to remain in the WHL for the 2024-25 season.

Haman-Aktell came to North America last season and sept most of the year in the AHL, where he had 11 points (2G / 9A) in 55 games with the Hershey Bears. He did appear in six games with the Capitals but will likely start 2024-25 in the AHL again.