Comments on: What Does the Future Hold for Alex Ovechkin?

By: C-Section | Puck Buddys

C-Section | Puck Buddys — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 04:22:29 +0000

[...] he’s still the guy “taking care of the ice.” As the sharpies over at RMNB recently noted, 2011 clearly wasn’t Ovie’s best year: “No Hart nomination. No Lindsay, Art [...]

By: ZonkerBrainless

ZonkerBrainless — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:02:03 +0000

Ovie looked kind of roly-poly this year. Maybe cutting down on the burgers a little would help his game.

By: BobbyG

BobbyG — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:28:03 +0000

Not only do we Caps fans need to recalibrate our expectations, but IMO Ovie does too. Yes, he’s still young but at the same time getting older season by season. With age there should be more experience and with it, learning lessons from it. I think past disappointments in the playoffs and Olympics weighed heavily on him, and he wasn’t prepared emotionally or psychologically to deal with it. We can talk about stats and giving him more on-ice chances to be spectacular again, but unless and until Ovie can exorcise his personal demons, it will be very difficult if not impossible for him to recapture past glory .

Another thing Ovie needs to address is his conditioning prior to start of training camp. IMO last season Ovie started training way too late and not very well, choosing not to follow his regular trainer and instead working out with Ilya Kovalchuk in the Moscow area. It’s no coincidence that both players struggled offensively, especially early in the season. Ovie has pledged to approach his off-season training differently this year, so at least he recognizes that he must make better decisions to prepare for training camp. A concession to getting older perhaps, or wiser with age? I will be very interested to see if he makes this commitment, and how it impacts his stamina and offensive production.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:57:55 +0000

Frankly, no one scores 40 goals without lots of those kinds of help.

By: Neil - RMNB

Neil - RMNB — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:51:39 +0000

@Jeremy While I agree that he has “not been the same player for a year and a half,” he also has not been given the CHANCE to be. Less offensive zone starts against tougher competition coupled with less PP time would depress anyone’s numbers.

Plus, he is getting older and the odds of him having another 40+ goal season without help (PP time, zone starts, etc) is a longshot.

We need to recalibrate our expectations.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:18:03 +0000

What exactly does this sentence mean?

“If the organization uses the offseason wisely, we could see at least one more spectacular season where Ovechkin is the league’s best player again.”

If the organization uses the offseason wisely? How about OV himself this offseason. Rather than gaze into a crystal ball, OV needs to look in a mirror. He’s not been the same player for a year and a half. He either ups his game or floats on past accomplishments. Last year he floated.

By: Kay Sieck

Kay Sieck — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 04:36:07 +0000

In the attempt to play better defense the offense was lost. When watching the team play it was obvious they forgot how to have fun. Talent was stifled and stars were clouded. They need a nice balance of both, to have a good offense you need a good defense and to have a good defense you need a good offense. Let’s hope they get their spark back during the off season. Besides, I want to see Ovi dance.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 03:22:49 +0000

I agree if things stay the same AO won’t have a great year, but he shot the lowest percentage of his career too, so while his points may stay the same, I think an increase in goals is likely, maybe even 40 all else being equal. He’s one of the most prolific shooters in the history of the league, that has to work in his favor.

By: Livia

Livia — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 03:11:15 +0000

Thanks, Neil, for this clear, timely and brilliant analysis. Your numbers show plainly how the ripples set off by one weakness–a dearth options for defensive-zone face-off man–can disrupt the play of the rest of the team. It’s cause for optimism, too, since it seems like a solvable problem, and may well help heal many a Caps fan’s broken heart.

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 31 May 2011 23:49:16 +0000

This is my favorite piece by Neil until the next one.

My first offseason goal is to get a lifetime contract for Matt Bradley. My second, thanks to this argument, is a defensive center/FO specialist.

Third is a pony.

Four? Ovechkin in the slot on the power play.

Five is a trip to six flags with Matt Bradley’s family. Six through ten are personal.