Alex Ovechkin Should Not Lead The Washington Capitals' Offense Anymore
For the first time in a very long time, the Washington Capitals might not need Alex Ovechkin to score 40 goals in order to make the playoffs.
After acquiring Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner in the past week, you can make an argument they probably don't even need the 40-year-old at all.
It's why at least one NHL insider (wrongly) predicted Ovechkin wouldn't be back next season. But now that he has signed a team-friendly contract for one more year, what are the expectations for the NHL's all-time leading goal-scorer?
With Ovechkin Back, The Capitals Are All In As GM Patrick Establishes New, Deep Core
The Capitals made a bold statement with a strong opening to the offseason and now, the return of Alex Ovechkin.
Looking forward, you probably don't want Ovechkin leading the team offensively anymore. Not at this stage of his career. And not with all the other talent that Washington has at its disposal.
The Capitals now have Tuch, who scored 33 goals and 66 points, as well as Kyrou, who has scored 30 or more goals in three of the last four seasons. They also have a growing group of forwards who are ready to push Ovechkin down the depth chart.
Ovechkin averaged 17:27 this past season while mostly playing on the top line with Dylan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier. It was a combination that resulted in 108 even-strength points - 11 more than Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon had on his own - and a 53.06 shots-for percentage when the trio was on the ice, according to naturalstattrick.com.
But now that the team has Ovechkin, Aliaksei Protas and Ryan Leonard on the left side, with Tuch, Kyrou and Tom Wilson on the right side, there are a myriad of combinations that Washington could employ.
One of those combinations could have Ovechkin on a top line with Strome and Protas or on a second line with Tuch and Pierre-Luc Dubois. But at this stage of his career, a more sensible option could be to limit Ovechkin's minutes and usage, and have him on a third line with 19-year-old Ilya Protas and the 21-year-old Leonard.
In doing so, the Capitals would have a more balanced offense, while also employing a big and physical unit that could make life miserable for opposing teams. The only question is whether Ovechkin would be happy to do it.
Again, bringing back Ovechkin was the easy part. Convincing him to take a back-seat role is where things get tricky.
But if he truly wants to win a second Stanley Cup and go out on a high note, then limiting his minutes might be the best thing for him and the Capitals.
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This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 1:20 PM.