WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals seemed to be at a crossroads after their four-game elimination at the hands of the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs last season. But the team had already chosen the direction it wanted to take almost two years earlier.
She just took the turn more.
While Ovechkin would resume his hunt for the all-time NHL goals record, Washington followed through on his plan to aggressively reshape its roster in the off-season by adding seven players – forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Taylor Raddysh and Brandon Duhaime, defenders Jakob Chychrun and Matt Roy and goalkeeper Logan Thompson.
The results were even better than the Capitals could have hoped for.
Washington (25-10-3) sits atop the Eastern Conference. And despite missing 16 games with a fractured fibula, Ovechkin scored 18 goals in 22 games to come within 24 goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time scoring record (894).
“The newcomers fit in perfectly with the team, you have to give them credit,” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick told NHL.com. I think we must also highlight the work of our group of leaders and our veterans who were there to welcome them and make them feel welcome very quickly. I think that’s what explains our excellent start. »
Ovechkin, who continues to defy the laws of age in his 20th NHL season, has certainly benefited from this improved training. The 39-year-old left winger has scored three goals in four games since returning from injury, and he has 16 goals in his last 15 games, a streak dating back to October 29.
“A guy his age scoring goals at such a rate is something you just don’t see,” Patrick said. He’s no longer the Alex Ovechkin of 25, but it’s hard to replace such goal-scoring ability. And he brings so much energy into the locker room. When he was absent, when he was not present on a daily basis due to his injury, we saw that his absence was felt. His return is crucial. It’s nice to see. Hopefully he can keep up the pace. »
Ovechkin seemed to be catching up with age in the last series against the Rangers, when he was held off the scoresheet in four games. Washington had narrowly qualified for the spring tournament and some wondered if we were witnessing the prolific Russian scorer’s last hurray in the playoffs.
Even though injuries, particularly on defense, affected the Capitals against the Rangers, the management – led by former GM Brian MacLellan (who is still president of hockey operations) and Patrick, promoted to GM on July 8 – was perfectly aware that she had to continue to revamp the training, regardless of the outcome of the series.
The process actually began after an early exit against the Florida Panthers in the 2022 playoffs. At that point, the Capitals still had much of the same core that helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2018. The state -major needed and wanted to change his approach.
“We told ourselves that if young players were available, we would have to analyze the situation very seriously,” Patrick said. In the past, it was more about adding veterans to our younger group. It became the opposite. »
When Dylan Strome, who was 25 at the time, became an unrestricted free agent after the Chicago Blackhawks decided not to tender him a qualifying offer, the Capitals signed him for one year and 3.5 years. million on July 14, 2022. Then, they then gave him a five-year contract and $25 million on February 3 to ensure his long-term services. Strome succeeded Nicklas Backstrom as starting center, the latter having stopped playing last season due to a recurring hip problem.
