The Washington Capitals continue to dismantle the team ahead of the NHL trade deadline, and Alex Ovechkin has had enough. The captain shared the common sentiment around the locker room after team leader John Carlson was traded to the Anaheim Ducks.
Ovechkin and the Capitals are currently four points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. However, the organization is seemingly waving the white flag on the season.
Watching Nic Dowd be traded to the Vegas Golden Knights sent a disheartening message to the players, but giving up Carlson to the Ducks was a massive blow that neither Ovechkin nor anyone else saw coming. Thanks to the trade, the Ducks added a Stanley Cup-winning defenseman while most of the league was asleep, including Carlson, who woke up to the news.
After hearing the news, Ovechkin dropped a blunt admission putting the front office on notice. “Alex Ovechkin said this is the saddest day of his career personally after John Carlson was traded,” as reported by NHL.com‘s Tom Gulitti. “Keep fighting. We’re still in this,” Ovechkin said to his teammates, via The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber.
Capitals on high alert
Ovechkin’s statement shouldn’t be overlooked by the organization. With much speculation around his future in the NHL, nothing can be taken for granted when it comes to “The Great 8”. Ovechkin has yet to sign a contract extension in Washington, as his five-year, $47.5 million deal (signed in 2021) is set to expire after the 2025-26 campaign.
If the Capitals miss the playoffs after separating Ovi from one of his longest-tenured teammates, the prospect of the leading scorer in NHL history leaving could become very real. Whether he would join another organization in the league or return to Russia remains to be seen, though he has admitted to plans for a return to Dynamo Moscow.