8 Alex Ovechkin LW

Capitals' Alex Ovechkin: Tallies assist Wednesday

The 32-year-old Russian seemed right at home on a line with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jakub Vrana in what should be one of the more potent offensive units in the league. While he may not attain the lofty 50-goal mark fantasy owners have been accustomed to for much of the past decade, Ovechkin should still be a solid multi-category contributor and one of the first wingers off the board in all formats.

Capitals' Alex Ovechkin: Expected to start season alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov

The Caps captain has spent most of his career alongside Nicklas Backstrom, but the emergence of Kuznetsov as a top-tier player gives the Caps as deep a top six as any team in the NHL, so this shouldn't come as a shock. The 32-year-old winger should be a reliable producer no matter who is feeding him pucks, although his age may point to goal totals closer to the 33 he had in 2016-17 than the eye-popping 50-goal seasons he posted earlier in his career. Regardless of who's next to him on Opening Night, the Russian power forward should be one of the first players off the board in all formats.

Capitals' Alex Ovechkin: Slims down ahead of new season

The Great 8 weighed 239 pounds last season, only to finish with 33 goals -- his lowest scoring output in six years with the exception of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign. While his new weight was not revealed, teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov pointed out the change in Ovi's figure as they skated at the team's practice rink in Virginia on Tuesday. The Capitals have lost several key weapons from the blue line -- including prolific power-play quarterback Kevin Shattenkirk to the Rangers -- in addition to venerable forwards Justin Williams and the fleet-footed Marcus Johansson, so the pressure will be on Ovechkin to recapture the scoring touch that's allowed him to claim the Rocket Richard Trophy six times in his career.

Capitals' Alex Ovechkin: Protected from expansion draft

No, the Caps weren't going to let Vegas take their captain and the face of their program. At age 31, Ovechkin failed to crack the 70-point mark in a full season for only the second time in his career. Still, 69 points -- 26 with the man advantage -- is still an incredible year, especially when he added 216 hits and fired 313 shots on goal.

Capitals' Alex Ovechkin: Unlikely to be traded this summer

Referring to rumblings among disgruntled Caps fans about trading the 31-year-old winger following another postseason disappointment, the GM said it was not in the organization's best interests to trade the team's captain. While his age and considerable cap hit rightfully raise questions regarding whether he can continue to justify his price tag, there's no doubt that he's still one of the top players in the league. MacLellan is right to be skeptical of the notion that cutting ties with the franchise's all-time leading scorer will somehow improve its future prospects. Unless the team is blown away by an offer or the Russian winger decides he wants to move on, expect him to be a potent scorer once again for the Capitals in 2017-18.