What Needs To Go Right For The Capitals To Compete Next Season
By CJ Witt
Ovechkin Cannot Decline
What would happen to this team if the greatest goal scorer in the world and his body finally decided, “You know what, it’s time to calm down.”? Instead of being a forty of fifty goal scorer what if time started creeping up on the soon to be 38-year-old and he was only able to pot around thirty-five?
Thirty-five? That is still an awesome season for most. But for the Capitals that is about ten goals you’re missing now that you have come expect. Someone else will have to make up for that and this was a team with some offensive troubles last season.
It is really weird that a team that is trying to win is still relying on Ovechkin who is pretty close to forty years old now. At some point you have to get younger and the younger players have to contribute.
They haven’t gotten too much younger, the younger guys have not stepped up enough and here we are. The Capitals need their 38-year-old to keep putting up forty maybe fifty goal seasons.
If Ovechkin were to finally take a step back this season (it’s going to happen at some point folks) can the Capitals survive that? Say the Caps cannot get a good answer on the two things we just talked about. They are injured again and the goaltending remains average. What if Ovechkin takes the slightest step back?
This will be the question surrounding Ovechkin for the rest of his career. How long can he fight off Father Time?