2009–10 Washington Capitals season

The 2009–10 Washington Capitals season was the 36th season for the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL). The season started with the 2009 NHL Entry Draft on June 26–27, with the Capitals holding the 24th selection in the draft.

Regular season
On December 28, the Capitals traded away captain Chris Clark and Milan Jurcina to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jason Chimera. On January 5, Alexander Ovechkin was made the new captain, the unanimous choice of the other players.

Playoffs
On March 11th, the Capitals clinched the division title for the 3rd consecutive season after also winning division titles in the 2007–08 and 2008–09 campaigns. The Capitals have also clinched as the Eastern Conference champion. On April 4, the Capitals won their first ever President's Trophy award. The Capitals played the Montreal Canadiens in the opening round. The Canadiens won game 1, 3-2 in overtime. The Capitals won the next three games to take a 3-1 series lead. The Canadiens won the next two games to tie the series at 3-3 and force a game 7. In game 7, the Canadiens took a 2-0 lead which held up until the 3rd period. The Capitals came close many times and outshot the Canadiens 42-16, but the Canadiens' goaltender Jaroslav Halak kept them in the game, only allowing 1 goal. The Canadiens won the game 2-1 and eliminated the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs, which was one of the biggest playoff upsets in NHL history.

Key: Win  Loss  Clinch Playoff Series  Eliminated from playoffs

Skaters
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA= Goals Against Average; SA= Shots Against; SV= Saves; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO= Shutouts

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Capitals. Stats reflect time with the Capitals only.

‡Traded mid-season

Bold/italics denotes franchise record

Transactions
The Capitals have been involved in the following transactions during the 2009–10 season.

Trades

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Draft picks
The Capitals' picks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, in Montreal, Quebec on June 26–27, 2009.

Hershey Bears
The Capitals' American Hockey League affiliate will remain to be the Hershey Bears in the 2009–10 season.

South Carolina Stingrays
The South Carolina Stingrays remain Washington's ECHL affiliate for the 2009–10 season.