ARLINGTON, Va. -- It was like old times for Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, skating as linemates on the opening day of Washington Capitals training camp Thursday.
But this, their 17th training camp together, begins with a different feel for Ovechkin, Backstrom and the rest of the Capitals after they didn’t qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2014.
After a season derailed by injuries and disappointing play, Washington is starting fresh under new coach Spencer Carbery and determined to avoid another long offseason next summer.
“I think a lot of us are really excited to be back,” Backstrom said. “We’re disappointed about last year. We also don’t want to miss playoffs. That’s not acceptable. I think I see a lot of fire in guys in the locker room and how we approach this season. I think it’s going to be an important year.”
The offseason brought change for the Washington with coach Peter Laviolette departing (and landing with the New York Rangers) and Carbery, who coached Washington’s American Hockey League affiliate in Hershey, Pennsylvania, for three seasons before working as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs the past two seasons, being hired May 30 to replace him.
Washington’s two biggest offseason additions were signing unrestricted free agent forward Max Pacioretty, who has yet to resume skating after having surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon in January, and acquiring defenseman Joel Edmundson in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens.
Although there was speculation that forwards Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha would be traded after disappointing seasons, each remains with the Capitals. General manager Brian MacLellan had hoped to trade for another top-six forward and admitted “it’s been a little frustrating” he hasn’t been able to yet but said his search would continue into the season.
“It was a busy summer of the organization,” Ovechkin said. “I think for us as players we just kind of wait (for) what’s happening, who’s staying, who’s not, who’s going to be traded, who’s not. And now, obviously, for us as players, we just try to get ready for camp and come here and be in shape and do our best.”
Ovechkin, who turned 38 on Sunday, begins his 19th NHL season second in NHL history with 822 goals, 72 behind Wayne Gretzky’s League record of 894. The left wing showed no signs of slowing down last season, leading Washington with 42 goals in 73 games. It was a challenging season for Ovechkin personally, though, following the death of his father Mikhail on Feb. 15, and he acknowledged that lower-body injury he played through needed some time in the offseason to heal.
In that way, having the longer offseason helped.
“I feel good,” Ovechkin said. “I hope it’s not going to come back. I hope it’s not going to come back for me, for lots of guys who were hurt last year.”
Backstrom, who missed the first 42 games last season after having hip resurfacing surgery, was among the Capitals players who endured extended absences along with Tom Wilson (49 games, ACL surgery, ankle), John Carlson (42 games, skull fracture, severed temporal artery, lower body and T.J. Oshie (24 games, back). Washington overcame a 10-12-4 start with a 12-1-2 surge from Dec. 5-Jan. 5 but faded after that and finished 35-37-10, 12 points behind the Florida Panthers for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Backstrom, who had 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 39 games last season, missed the first 28 games in 2021-22 while rehabbing his hip, but the 35-year-old center believes those issues are behind him after having a normal offseason to train for the first time in three years.
“I’ve got nothing more to say about it,” said Backstrom, the Capitals’ all-time leader with 761 assists. “I’m 100 percent. I’ve done everything I can this summer. I worked really hard and really excited to be here for the training camp. Love this team, love this city, love the fans. There’s nothing I’m more excited about than going back and playing hockey.”
Ovehckin could see the difference in Backstrom on Thursday when they practiced on a line with Mantha.
“He’s in good shape,” Ovechkin said. “I think he’s ready for the year. We played together a long time and I know his strengths and he knows my strengths. So, we just have to play for each other and help each other out.”
Washington plans to mix a few younger players into its lineup, such as 22-year-old forwards Connor McMichael, but will continue to rely heavily on the remaining core of its 2018 Stanley Cup team, including Ovechkin, Backstrom , Oshie, 36, Carlson, 33, Kuznetsov, 31, and Wilson, 29. They believe have enough left to return to the playoffs this season in what figures to be a tight race in the Eastern Conference with up-and-coming teams such as the Ottawa Senators (six seasons) and Buffalo Sabres (12 seasons) hoping to end their postseason droughts.
“We need our core guys to compete with the best guys in the League,” MacLellan said. “That's as far as we'll go here. We're going to inject some young guys. They'll play, and their role will be determined by the coaching staff. I think the combination of all that, we should still be competitive.”
MacLellan expects Ovechkin to be one of the driving forces behind that.
“I don't think it sits well with him that we missed the playoffs,” MacLellan said. “He didn't have fun down the stretch last year. He wants to win, he wants to compete, he wants to be at the highest level and he's going to do what he can do to help us get there.”
