Photo credit: Bruce Bennett
Last season I got some flak for projecting Ovechkin would score on average 42 goals, plus or minus 8 goals over the 82-game season. The former two-time Hart winner ended up setting career lows in goals (32) and points (85), while once again suffering an early exit in the postseason.
Before anyone accuses me of being right a jinx, consider that in each of the two seasons before that he saw most of his offensive numbers decline:
| Season | GP | G | A | PTS | EV | PP | S | S% | TOI |
| 2008-09 | 79 | 56 | 54 | 110 | 36 | 19 | 528 | 10.6 | 1817 |
| 2009-10 | 72 | 50 | 59 | 109 | 37 | 13 | 368 | 13.6 | 1569 |
| 2010-11 | 79 | 32 | 53 | 85 | 25 | 7 | 367 | 8.7 | 1688 |
So, despite this downturn, what can we realistically expect from one of the NHL’s best players this upcoming season?
