The NHL is just eight days away from the trade deadline, but the Washington Capitals are keeping an eye on another countdown. Alex Ovechkin is just 12 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the all-time record and could reach no. 895 in a matter of weeks.
With 30 goals in his first 43 games this season, Ovechkin’s full-tilt chase of the record has impressed even those within the Capitals organization — general manager Chris Patrick told reporters Thursday that he couldn’t have predicted just how strong Ovechkin has been this year.
“Unbelievable,” he said. “Sitting with all of you guys at the beginning of the year, somebody asked me if I thought he could do it this year, and it’s like, ‘I don’t know. Hopefully he’s close by the end.’ But if you would have told me we’d be sitting here now, he’s 12 goals away, and he missed 16 games — again, he continues to defy all expectations.”
Ovechkin may only rank seventh in the league in goals this season — thanks largely to missing 16 games with a fractured fibula — but his 0.70 goals per game rank second behind only Leon Draisaitl (minimum two games played) and he’s scoring at a faster pace than he has since the 2007-08 season.
“He has the ability to get shots off that a lot of mere mortals can’t shoot,” Patrick remarked.
As he chases down the last dozen goals for the record, Ovechkin could potentially get more support ahead of the trade deadline. After two middling seasons saw Washington retool at the trade deadline and sell off short-term assets, this year’s Capitals have proven one of the best teams in the league and have a commanding lead in the East. Though Patrick played coy about his deadline plans, he noted that any potential moves could help Ovechkin in his final push to the record.
“The better the team is around Alex, the better it is for Alex because it just gets harder for other teams to match his line, other lines,” he said. “They have to spread out who’s defending against what line. So, for all our offensive players, that allows them to have a little more space. Spencer does a really good job getting the matchups he wants and getting guys into opportunities to try to score. So, just like the summer, I think at the deadline it will be the same thing. We’re just trying to get harder for teams to play against us.”
Ovechkin has been reluctant to talk about the record, even as the anticipation grows both in DC and elsewhere. While teammates and opponents alike marvel at his proximity to history, Ovechkin has insisted that his focus is on team success and the games ahead, something Patrick highlights as a virtue.
“The thing that’s been really cool to see with Alex this year is, he gets the questions here, but (when) we go on the road, there’s a huge group of media waiting for him,” Patrick said. “We go to Canada, there’s even a bigger group of media, and they all want to talk about the chase and the goals, and he never wants to talk about it. He’ll answer the question quick, but then he wants to talk about the team and winning the Stanley Cup, and that’s what he cares about.
“And that’s not an act. He wants to win the Stanley Cup and that’s really all he’s focused on right now, which I think is really cool, and which is why — we’re at 12 goals away right now, and I think nationally, people are just starting to wake up to it a little bit here, outside of hockey. So I think it’s a testament to him as a leader and as a competitor, which is why he’s where he is now in this chase.”
One of Ovechkin’s biggest career achievements may be ahead of him, but the Capitals know he’s reached the tail end of his time in Washington. Now 39, Ovechkin has just one full year remaining on his contract — between the team’s success this season and Ovechkin’s hot streak, this year will mark one of the last strong chances for the Caps to push for a championship with the Great Eight.
Asked whether that closing window gives extra urgency to this year’s deadline, however, Patrick insisted that that pressure never really goes away.
“I think we have a really good hockey team. I think you look at trade deadline deals — not just our team, any team in the league — when they make a big splash or a small addition and do they end up moving the needle a lot on a team’s chances to win the Stanley Cup? Like, it’s debatable, so I think you need to make smart moves for your hockey club.
“I want Alex to win a Stanley Cup. I want everybody on this team to win a Stanley Cup. The first thing I thought of when we won the Stanley Cup in 2018 was, ‘Man, I wish a lot of other people could feel what I’m feeling right now. It’s like the best feeling ever.’ I think all our decisions are dictated on trying to get this team into a point to win the Stanley Cup. No, I don’t think it adds urgency. I think that urgency’s always been there, and you just have to make smart moves to get your team in a good spot.”
