Alex Ovechkin’s numbers through the first four games don’t exactly jump off the page, but there’s no reason for Capitals fans to start spiraling just yet.
The future Hall of Famer has one goal and three assists to open the season, a pace that works out to nine goals and 28 assists over an 84-game year. That’s not the kind of start Ovechkin has built his legend on, but it also isn’t unfamiliar territory.
A year ago, he had two goals and five assists through his first nine games before settling in and finishing with 32 goals and 32 assists. Not too shabby for someone who has been in this league for as long as he has.
The bigger picture matters here. Ovechkin has already done everything there is to do: he’s the greatest goal scorer of all time, he’s won a Stanley Cup, and he’s nearing the end of what could be his final NHL season. That alone should keep anyone from hitting the panic button over a sluggish opening stretch.
He’s also dealing with the kind of issue that comes with this stage of a career. Like last season, Ovechkin had to work through a training camp injury, and at his age, that’s only going to become more common. He has spent his career as an offensive force for Washington, but bodies don’t cooperate forever.
Still, the idea here is pretty simple: if Ovechkin finds his groove, there’s every reason to believe he can still put together a solid season. He has rarely turned in a truly bad one, and even the statistical dips have often come in unusual circumstances, including shortened seasons and the COVID shutdown. Strip those away, and he’s been one of the most reliable offensive players the NHL has ever seen.
There’s also the matter of timing. Sports has no shortage of painful examples of stars hanging on too long. The line between leaving too early and staying past your welcome is a thin one, and nobody wants to watch a player like Ovechkin drift beyond his prime.
That kind of thing has played out before, especially in the NFL and combat sports. Brett Favre is one example. The late, great Muhammad Ali, arguably the greatest fighter who ever lived, kept boxing for years after it was obvious the sport was taking a toll.
Ovechkin deserves to end this on his own terms. A slow start doesn’t erase the career he’s built, and it shouldn’t change the way Capitals fans see him.
Enjoy Alex Ovechkin while you can, and savor every moment, Caps fans.
In Other News...
Capitals Lineup Watch Just Got More Complicated Before Sabres Game
Three days after the loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the Capitals were back on the ice Tuesday with an eye on Buffalo and a lineup that is starting to take shape again. Jonny Brodzinski was loaned to the AHL Hershey Bears, a move that strongly suggests Pierre-Luc Dubois is on track to return after missing five games because of illness, which would give Washington another experienced option as it tries to reset before facing the Sabres.
The bigger concern may be in goal. Logan Thompson did not practice because of a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day, leaving Washington with one more variable to sort out before puck drop. After a stretch that already forced the Capitals to juggle their forward group, the status of their top goalie now adds another layer of uncertainty to a game that was already going to matter for their response effort. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Forward Depth Suddenly Looks More Important With Sourdif Uncertain
Justin Sourdifs place in the lineup has become a little more important than it looked a week ago, mostly because Washington has had to navigate his absence without much clarity on when hell be back. The forward has missed the Capitals last two games because of illness, but he was back on the ice Wednesday for his first individual skate since getting sick, a small step that at least suggests he is moving in the right direction.
The timing matters because Washington is already keeping an eye on depth up front, and Sourdif had been trying to build on a productive previous season that saw him post 35 points. He has one goal in seven games this year, and with a home game against the Buffalo Sabres approaching, the Capitals are still waiting to see whether hell be available to help replenish the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Fans Can Finally Debate A Real Dylan Larkin Possibility
The idea of Dylan Larkin in Washington has moved from pure rumor to something a little more concrete, even if it is still far from a finished story. The Detroit Red Wings center reportedly expanded his no-trade clause list to include 10 teams, and the Capitals are among them, which at least gives this a real layer of intrigue for fans who have been waiting to see whether their club could ever enter the conversation.
For Washington, the appeal is obvious: if Detroit ever entertained a serious move, the Capitals do have the kind of prospects and NHL talent that could make sense in a deal. Cole Hutson, Lynden Lakovic and Ilya Protas are among the names that could come up in that kind of framework, but for now the whole situation remains speculative, with multiple teams still in the mix and no actual trade in hand. [Read more 🡒]