ARLINGTON, Va. — Within the midst of overhauling the Washington Capitals this offseason, Brian MacLellan acquired Alex Ovechkin’s seal of approval.
Ovechkin texted his common supervisor a thumbs-up emoji for buying new first-line heart Pierre-Luc Dubois. MacLellan was not performed, getting a brand new goaltender in Logan Thompson and a brand new defenseman in Jakob Chychrun by way of two extra trades. He additionally signed massive blueliner Matt Roy and forwards Brandon Duhaime and Taylor Raddysh in free company to show over roughly 1 / 4 of the roster.
A lot for simply making an attempt to assist Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky’s NHL profession objectives file. Six years since successful the Stanley Cup for the primary and solely time in franchise historical past, the Capitals went all in to maintain their playoff-contending window open for subsequent season and past.
“They’ve performed an awesome job form of retooling, guess you may say, on the fly,” stated Chychrun, who arrived from Ottawa. “They have been very aggressive, and it is nice to see.”
There’s purpose for that.
Washington squeaked into the postseason because the second and ultimate East wild card final season after Ovechkin, who scored eight objectives in his first 43 video games, went on a tear with 23 objectives in 36 video games as goalie Charlie Lindgren carried the crew many nights. With principally all their power expended simply to get in on a tiebreaker, the Capitals had been swept within the first spherical by the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers.
“We realized the place we had been finally 12 months,” MacLellan stated Wednesday. “We knew we needed to get higher. We had so as to add. For Ovi, too. I imply, there’s a variety of stress on Ovi to provide final 12 months as a result of we lacked the depth in that space, so hopefully he is supported right here extra with a greater total crew this 12 months.”
Ovechkin is 42 objectives from passing Gretzky with two years left on his contract. He turns 39 in September. Nobody in league historical past has scored at this charge at this age till now.
“I’ll actually cherish this time with him and doing the whole lot we are able to to assist him achieve success,” Chychrun stated. “Biggest objective scorer of all time, so it may be very particular to have a possibility to play with Alex.”
If Dubois bounces again from an underproductive down 12 months with Los Angeles after his third commerce by age 26, he provides Ovechkin the form of elite expertise within the center the Capitals used to have with Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Nonetheless, buying a participant owed $8.5 million yearly by way of 2031 who’s coming off a 40-point season is taking an opportunity. And it is a completely different form of gamble now making an attempt to maintain his crew within the playoff combine than those MacLellan made upon taking on a decade in the past to attempt to ship the nation’s capital the Cup.
“We have been making an attempt to take dangers: in search of upside in gamers, looking for gamers that we expect we are able to create atmosphere the place they’re extra profitable,” MacLellan stated. “That is been our philosophy, versus let’s simply tank it and go down and attempt to win the lottery, which is a painful strategy to it. We’re taking a variety of dangers.”
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Successful the lottery 20 years in the past landed Ovechkin, and the recipe has helped Pittsburgh, Chicago, Colorado and Florida all get to hockey’s mountaintop. This strategy is extra unconventional, and it depends on hitting on trades, signings and draft picks, one thing the Capitals virtually actually did drafting Ryan Leonard eighth final 12 months.
Leonard, who’s returning to Boston Faculty to play a second NCAA season looking for a nationwide title, may be part of as quickly as subsequent spring. As a part of the following technology of expertise, the group’s prime prospect additionally provides this offseason of change a thumbs-up.
“It is a successful tradition right here, and that is clearly what you need to be part of,” Leonard stated. “You noticed the day the opposite day with the free company: They’re in search of top-end guys that may assist win championships, and that is what I am right here to attempt to do sooner or later.”
