Washington Capitals: Top 3 players who will have biggest impact in 2021-22

#1 Alex Ovechkin

This is more of a positive than a negative depending on how you look at it. All in all, the Washington Capitals will go as far as Alex Ovechkin can take them. He of course wants another Stanley Cup and also has his eyes on the biggest goal scoring record in NHL history. You already know about it so I don’t need to say too much about it.

The biggest question with Ovechkin is if he can keep defying age and Father Time. The great eight turns 36 in two days and inked a five year contract extension over the offseason on July 27. The five year deal will carry him through 21 seasons with the Capitals.

In Washington, D.C. sports history only Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson and Washington Football Team cornerback Darrell Green have played at least 20 seasons with their respective teams. That’s elite company.

With 730 career goals, Ovechkin needs two goals to pass Marcel Dionne for fifth place on the NHL’s all time goals list. He needs to average just 33 goals a season for the next five seasons in order to catch Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894. That is a total of just 165 goals.

Those are the players that will make or break the Capitals season. We’re almost there folks.