Alex Ovechkin is lacing up his skates for what will most likely be his final year. Although Ovechkin has turned back the clock for multiple seasons, he is 40 years old and is now known as the greatest goal scorer in NHL history.
The Caps’ captain lifted the Stanley Cup seven years ago on the Las Vegas ice, with that being his only taste of Lord Stanley’s glory. However, Washington has been building something for the past two seasons.
The Capitals have a mix of old veteran players, such as John Carlson and future captain Tom Wilson, in a sea of young firepower, including Ryan Leonard, Alexei Protas and a man who assisted on Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal, Dylan Strome.
Washington has a great goalie tandem with star goaltender Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren backing him. A very young but talented goaltending core has proved to carry the Caps on multiple occasions, especially last postseason.
Spencer Carberry has proven to be a good coach, but has no true winning experience at such a high level to back it up, which is extremely important at the professional level. In games and series against veteran coaching, his record is awful.
Ovechkin has lost certain aspects of his game over the last couple of seasons, such as his speed and the magic in his stickhandling. He is having to rely on an inexperienced cast to propel him to a spot he hasn’t seen in almost a decade.
Realistically, I don’t think the Caps have what it takes this year, due to their lack of defensive talent. John Carlson is a veteran, but his aging has caused him to be a complete liability on the back end. To be considered the best defenseman in the league just five years ago, with a fantastic offensive approach, he has seemingly forgotten how to be useful in almost any situation. Jacob Chychrun has been a phenomenal sign on defense for the Caps, but he himself is not enough to be better in front of Thompson.
Ovechkin has also not shown the same fire in the postseason for the last couple of seasons, being swept in the first round in 2024, without registering a single point for the first time in his career. This past postseason, he showed symptoms of slowing down as well, only recording six points in his 10 games played, before being eliminated by their bitter rivals in Carolina.
With the goal record and the Stanley Cup pressure off his shoulders, it makes you wonder if that passion and motivation is still there at this team’s core. The season has started well for the Caps, but there are still 70 more games to be played. I don’t think there are enough Hot Cheetos and Subway sandwiches in the world to get Ovi’s name back on the cup, as I believe they will fall short in the postseason.
