#1 The chase for Gretzky is ON
The number one reason to get excited for Alex Ovechkin this upcoming season is that the chase for Wayne Gretzky’s “unbreakable” record is ON. He needs to average just 33 goals a season for the next five years and then he will catch it.
Ovechkin is 165 goals shy of breaking Gretzky’s record, ranking sixth all time with 730 goals. He needs two to pass Marcel Dionne for fifth place. He’s only scored 33 goals or fewer twice in a full season. Next season if he puts up good numbers he could not only pass Dionne but also leapfrog Brett Hull and Jaromir Jagr. Once that is done, the great eight will only have Gordie Howe and Gretzky in his sights.
Last season, Ovechkin scored 24 goals but had to deal with both time on the COVID list early in the season and missing time late in the season due to injury. He told the media that he is 100 percent healthy as of right now.
Ovechkin said via Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (subscription required):
"“Last year was kind of a hard year, not just for me, but for everyone. You don’t know when the season is going to start, how we have to prepare our body for the season. Now we know when we have to be ready. I am going to be in a good shape when I come to the training camp.”"
With Ovechkin back it looks like the Caps are almost set with their roster. There might be a few tweaks here and there but at least the team got the most important part done.