Washington Capitals: Top 5 greatest left wingers of all-time

#4 Dmitri Khristich

Dmitry Khristich was taken by the Caps in the sixth round at 120th overall in the 1988 NHL Draft. His first season saw him score 13 goals and add 14 assists for 27 points in 1990-91. His sophomore season was his best season as Khristich scored 36 goals and added 37 assists for 73 points. The 1992-93 season began with Khristich suffering a broken foot injury. He still managed to score 31 goals and add 35 assists for 66 points including two goals and five assists in the playoffs.

The next year Khristich added 29 goals and 29 assists for 58 points and added two goals and two assists when the Caps took down the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Khrisitich followed that up with 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in what turned out to be his final season in D.C.

In July of 1995, Khristich was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. He was the Russian goal scorer on the Caps before there was Ovechkin and ironically he wore the number eight. Khristich played in 811 games for the Capitals, Kings, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs. He finished his Capitals career playing in 419 games over seven seasons scoring 140 goals and adding 160 assists for 300 points.

#3 Steve Konowalchuk

Steve Konowalchuk was drafted by the Caps in the third round at 58th overall in the 1991 NHL Draft. He spent 13 seasons with the Capitals and became a fan favorite for his two way game and offensive touch. After appearing in just one game in 1991-92, he played in 36 games the next season scoring four goals and adding seven assists for 11 points.

Konowalchuk’s first NHL goal came on Halloween night in 1992 against the Edmonton Oilers. His 1992-93 season was split between NHL and AHL action.

The next two seasons saw Konowalchuk score 12 and 11 goals, respectively, before posting a then career high 23 goal in 1995-96 in 70 games. In 1996, Konowalchuk helped lead Team USA to a title in the first ever World Cup of Hockey.

Konowalchuk would add double digit goals and assists the next four seasons including a career high 24 goals and 23 assists in the 2000-01 season. The next year he was named a co-captain with defenseman Brendan Witt before being promoted to sole team captain in 2002-03. He added 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points in 77 games.

In 2003-04, things were horrible right from the start as the Caps went winless in their first six games. It was then when they began the fire sale which included trading Konowalchuk.

#2 Kelly Miller

Kelly Miller was acquired from the New York Rangers in 1987 and spent 13 seasons with the Washington Capitals. It was a trade that paid dividends. Miller scored 10 goals and added 12 assists for 22 points in his remaining first season in D.C. In 1987-88, Miller scored nine goals and added 23 assists for 32 points. The next year, Miller scored 19 goals and added 21 assists for 40 points.

Miller’s third season in 1989-90 saw him score 18 goals and add 22 assists for 40 points. In 1990-91, Miller posted a career high 24 goals and added 26 assists for 50 points. Miller would add 14 goals and 38 assists for 52 points in 1991-92, 18 goals and 27 assists for 45 points in 1992-93, 14 goals and 25 assists for 39 points in 1993-94, 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points in 1994-95, seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 1995-96, 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points in 1996-97, seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 1997-98, and two goals and five assists for seven points in 1998-99.

Miller was traded with Mike Ridley and Bob Crawford in exchange for Bobby Carpenter and the trade wound up being one of the best in Capitals history. Miller doesn’t have the offensive touch like an Ovechkin but was still a fan favorite nonetheless. Only one was Miller able to surpass 20 goals as he was more of a defensive specialist.

#1 Alex Ovechkin

Who else would’ve been number one on our list? Alex Ovechkin singlehandedly turned the Washington Capitals franchise around and is a naturally gifted goalscorer. Youth participation in hockey has soared throughout the DMV since Ovechkin entered the league. Now he has inked a five year extension in hopes of breaking the biggest record of all time plus another one.

Last season Ovechkin played in 45 games and finished with 24 goals and 18 assists for 42 points. Despite those being a career low, Ovechkin had to battle both an injury at the end of the season and COVID protocols at the beginning. The previous season he led the league with 48 goals to win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. The two years before, he finished with 51 and 49 goals, respectively.

Ovechkin will need to hit 33 goals per season over the next five years to cement himself as the all time NHL leader in goals scored. It is a journey worth watching and one we are fortunate enough to see night after night. He currently sits at 730 career goals and would’ve been at a higher number if there wasn’t a pandemic.

Those are our top 5 greatest left wingers of all time. Who did we miss?