Washington Capitals: Top 5 predictions for next season

#4 Alex Ovechkin will have a 30 goal season

Alex Ovechkin has recently turned 35 and is getting up there in age. Despite this, he will continue to defy age and have a stellar season even though it will likely only be 48 games long. Ovechkin is entering a big season as it’ll be the last year on his contract but he and the Caps hope to get an extension done so he can finish his career in D.C… that is before he decides to go to the Moscow Dynamo.

For three seasons in a row, Ovechkin defied age and led the league in goals. In 2017-18 he had 49 goals. The next year, Ovechkin lit it up 51 times. This past season he had 48 goals before the season was shutdown. What a shame.

It’s also a shame that the season will likely be 48 games long, possibly affecting Ovechkin’s chances of catching Wayne Gretzky in a negative way. Even so, it’s all the more important Ovechkin has a 30 goal season to keep him at least afloat in chasing that record.

Can he get 50 goals the next time the NHL does an 82 game season? This year will be telling and will give us a read on how we think he’ll do to close out his NHL career.