With One Year Remaining On Ovechkin's Contract, Coach Carbery's Plan Is Not To Place Limitations On The Great8
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We already know how the 2024-2025 NHL season unfolded for Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Much has already been written and said about the The Great8's accomplishments.
Yet, it bears repeating. At the age of thirty-nine, he scored 44 goals in only 65 games. And its not just how many he scored, but the manner in which he scored them.
In his first 18 games, Ovechkin netted 15 goals. He then suffered a severe injury, the first of his career, landing him on the IR for more than a month. Upon his return, he proceeded to score 29 more goals in 47 games.
Those 44 goals he scored, by the way, are the most ever by a player 39 years of age, or older, and scored at a rate of 0.68 goals per game, the highest rate in a season since 2010.
Oh yeah, Ovechkin then proceeded to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record for good measure. When it comes to projecting what he will do for a repeat next year, well, it almost impossible.
"I don't like doing this on him," Spencer Carbery said on Capitals' Breakdown day. "You know why? Because you just can't put a cap on anything he does. I wouldn't be surprised if he comes out and has a similar start next year, and we're like, 'What is happening? At 40 years old?' "
Making the Playoffs and winning the Stanley Cup will be the team's obvious focus. But what remains to be accomplished individually for Ovechkin?
"I don't put anything past him, even being 40 years old," Carbery continued. "When you put that four in front, now it becomes a little bit different when you hear some of the stats in that."
Alex Ovechkin is only 3 goals shy of becoming the first player in NHL history to reach the 900 goal plateau. He is also one 50-goal season away from breaking the record for most 50 goal seasons, which currently stands at 10. OVi has done it 9 times.
And it doesn't end there. Ovechkin is just 287 hits from breaking the all-time record for most hits, currently held by Cal Clutterbuck at 4029.
The average number of hits laid-out in a season is 375, by my calculations. He should have no problem dishing-out 287 next year and breaking the all-time hits record too.
It's impossible to put Ovechkin talent's in a box. It's no wonder that Carbery's plan next year for him is to send The Great8 over the boards and enjoy what he brings to the game.
| POLL | ||
MAI 18 | 44 ANSWERS With One Year Remaining On Ovechkin's Contract, Coach Carbery's Plan Is Not To Place Limitations On The Great8 Will Ovechkin score 50 goals in the 2025-2026 season? | ||
| yes | 10 | 22.7 % |
| no | 34 | 77.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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