As the Washington Capitals start preparing for the 2024-25 season, all eyes are once again on Alex Ovechkin. He picks up his chase of Wayne Gretzky as the league’s all-time No. 2 goal scorer, and he is just 42 goals behind the Great One.
Gretzky scored 894 goals in his remarkable career and Ovechkin dearly would like to eclipse that mark. If he can’t do that in the upcoming season, it seems quite certain that he would be able to reach that number early in the following year.
However, the record does not appear to be top of mind for Ovechkin. Instead, he would like to see the Capitals regain their swagger and become a team that can win a round or two in the playoffs. The Capitals made the postseason last year, but they were swept out in the opening round by the New York Rangers.
Ovechkin knows he has to score goals, but he would like to see the Capitals find some dependable line combinations in training camp.
“I’m always saying I just have to do my job,” Ovechkin told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. “Of course, without goals, you’re not going to win the games. But right now, it’s the most important thing for us to find the line combinations because it’s new guys. It’s basically half the team that’s new. It’s new linemates, new teammates, so you have to use that time for not thinking about goals or something else.”
Capitals have new look in 2024-25
During the offseason, the Capitals added seven new players. Three of those players, forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane, and defenseman Jakob Chychrun, came to the Capitals in trades.
Ovechkin, Tom Wilson and defenseman John Carlson are on the only members of the Capitals that won the Stanley Cup in 2018 still with the team. Jakub Vrana was also a part of the championship team, and he is trying to earn a spot on the Washington roster in a professional tryout.
Veteran forward T.J. Oshie is expected to be placed on long-term Injured Reserve with a back injury. Nicklas Backstrom was forced to retire a year ago because of a hip injury.
Ovechkin remains a viable performer for the Capitals. He scored 31 goals and added 34 assists last season. He has two years remaining on his contract and is scheduled to receiver $47.5 million over that time frame.
Wilson still sees Ovechkin as a highly competitive player. “He’s still hungry. He’s still Ovi,” Wilson said. “He’s one of the hungriest hockey players I’ve ever been around. He wants to be great. He wants to do it, and you feel that as a group.”
