3 Members of the Capitals’ Stanley Cup Team You Probably Forgot About

2026 marks eight years since the Washington Capitals secured their first franchise Stanley Cup victory. The 2017-18 season was a whirlwind that led to captain and hockey superstar Alex Ovechkin, his right-hand man Nicklas Backstrom, and many other notable players getting a chance to hoist the Cup in front of Washington’s fans.

While the roster may have featured some notable names, others flew under the radar. These skaters, while integral to the team at the time, have been forgotten about over the years. Where did they go after having their name etched in history? Let’s take a look at three forgotten players.

Alex Chiasson

Chiasson, a right winger, was signed as a free agent in 2017. In the regular season, he had 18 points in 61 games. He played 16 playoff games, where he scored one goal and notched an assist. He was healthy scratched for the Cup final against the Vegas Golden Knights, but became a winning member of the Stanley Cup squad.

After the season, he signed a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers, where he reached a career-high 22 goals and 38 points. At the end of the 2018-19 season, he re-signed with Edmonton on a two-year deal, made two more playoffs, and scored his 100th-career goal with the Oilers. At the end of his contract, he was not re-signed and went on to play with the Vancouver Canucks.

He had just 22 points with the Canucks and was not re-signed at the season’s conclusion. In 2022-23, Chiasson had an unsuccessful professional tryout (PTO) with the Arizona Coyotes, and spent part of the season without a team. He later had a shot at a PTO with the Detroit Red Wings’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

He was successful with the Griffins, securing 20 points in 29 games and being signed to a two-way contract. At the end of the season, though, he was let go by the Red Wings. Chiasson did have one final PTO, this time with the Boston Bruins, but he did not make it past the preseason. He announced his retirement from professional hockey in 2025.

Brett Connolly

Years before joining the Capitals, right winger Connolly was heralded as one of 2010’s top draft picks. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning and played with them and the Bruins before coming to Washington. He was picked up as a free agent in 2016, and later signed a two-year contract extension in 2017.

He thrived in the Capitals’ organization; in his first season, he scored a career-high 15 goals and th following season, he matched that goal total and tallied a personal-best 27 points. Connolly played in all 24 playoff games with the team in 2018, contributing to their victory with six goals and three assists. Notably, he had the primary assist on Lars Eller’s Stanley Cup-winning goal in Game 5.

In the last season of his contract, the forward shone brightly, showcasing his best career season and finishing with 46 points (22 goals, 24 assists) in 81 games. After leaving the Capitals as a free agent, he signed a four-year contract with the Florida Panthers. His offensive production faltered, and he was placed on waivers by the team in 2020.

In 2021, the Panthers traded Connolly to the Chicago Blackhawks. After training camp in 2021-22, he was placed on waivers and reassigned to the Rockford IceHogs, the team’s AHL affiliate. He had zero goals in nine appearances with the Blackhawks, and just 17 points in 37 games with the IceHogs. He was placed on unconditional waivers at the season’s end and was not re-signed in the NHL.

He went on to play for two international teams: HC Lugano and SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in Switzerland. With Lugano, he had 38 points in 45 games. Unfortunately, his season with the Lakers was cut to just nine matches after a season-ending hip injury. Connolly has not returned to hockey since 2023-2024.

Christian Djoos

Djoos was a defenseman selected by the Capitals in the seventh round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, but did not make his league debut until 2017. In his first game, he made history by becoming the only franchise defenseman to record two points in a debut. By the end of the regular season, the confident blueliner had tallied 14 points in 63 games.

In the playoffs, he played 22 games, notching one assist. He was given another chance on the Capitals’ roster the following season, but in 2019-20, he did not make it past training camp and was reassigned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. He shone with 32 points in 42 games that season, but was ultimately dealt to the Anaheim Ducks for Daniel Sprong following the season.

He played just nine games with the Ducks before being placed on waivers and being picked up by the Red Wings. After finishing the season in Detroit, he signed with Zug EV in Switzerland and totalled 63 points in 102 games in two seasons there. He then went on to play with Lausanne HC for a season before signing a five-year contract with Brynas IF in Sweden, where he currently plays.

While these players may not go down in history as some of the Capitals’ most notorious and greatest players, they each contributed to the perfect storm that was the Stanley Cup-winning roster in 2018. Their names will be forever marked on the Cup itself, and their legacy will remain unparalleled for years to come.