ARLINGTON, Va. -- Alex Ovechkin remains realistic about his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals after completing his 19th NHL season, 42 goals away from breaking it.
“I'm always saying the same thing: If I make it, it's good, but it's still 42 goals,” the Washington Capitals forward said Tuesday. “It's kind of a long way, but it's possible if you're going to be healthy, yeah.”
Ovechkin ended a roller-coaster season by being held without a point by the New York Rangers in a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference First Round. It was the first time the 38-year-old left wing didn’t get at least one point in a Stanley Cup Playoff series.
That came after he led Washington with 31 goals in 79 regular-season games, increasing his career total to 853. But Ovechkin scored just eight in his first 43 games before getting 23 in his final 36.
“There's a lot of pressure on him,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. “[That] he's expected to carry us offensively at 38 is probably not fair.”
That’s why MacLellan hopes Washington can strengthen its lineup around Ovechkin this offseason. MacLellan would like to see young forwards such as Connor McMichael (23), Aliaksei Protas (23), Hendrix Lapierre (22) and Ivan Miroshnichenko (20) take on bigger roles next season, but he’ll also seek outside help through trades and free agency to upgrade an offense that was 28th in the NHL in goals per game during the regular season (2.63).
“I think we need to add something in that area,” MacLellan said. “We need to get a little more skill, a little more goals. [We’ve got to] find a way to do that.”
Ovechkin, who will turn 39 on Sept. 17, acknowledged this was probably the most challenging season of his career after longtime teammate Nicklas Backstrom stepped away after the center played only eight games because of recurring hip problems, and center Evgeny Kuznetsov struggled before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on March 8.
It was a transition season for the Capitals under first-year coach Spencer Carbery, and Ovechkin struggled the first three months before finding his rhythm later in the season to help Washington (40-31-11) qualify for the playoffs as the second wild card from the East.
“It was tough with the whole situation, the injuries, line combinations,” he said. “I was talking to ‘Carbs’ all the time and we just try to figure out like, ‘OK, what’s the best way for me to start doing my job and start scoring goals, make some points?’”
MacLellan said he expects Backstrom to remain on long-term injured reserve next season, and forward T.J. Oshie is facing an uncertain future because of recurring back problems. So, there could be more change coming, but Ovechkin likes the steps the Capitals took this season.
“I’m proud of this group because of what we’ve been through since the beginning of the year, ups and downs, injuries,” he said. “We still tried find a way to be in the playoff race and be able to be in that kind of mix until the end of year. It was a fun year.”
