Caps GM MacLellan discloses Alex Ovechkin’s wordless reaction to team's offseason acquisitions

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Jul 05, 2024 01:56 GMT

Reinforcements are coming to help superstar Alex Ovechkin lead the Washington Capitals to another potential Stanley Cup. The 2018 Stanley Cup champion has lacked a supporting cast that could help him claim another title. That has changed this offseason. Caps GM Brian MacLellan has aggressively upgraded the team’s roster to support the team’s 38-year-old captain.

When asked about Ovechkin’s reaction to the off-season’s retool, MacLellan said (via NHL.com):

“Just the thumbs-up emoji.”

MacLellan’s words, as reported by NHL.com, underscore the optimism surrounding the Capitals’ new cast of characters. In are center Pierre-Luc Dubois, winger Andrew Mangiapane, and netminder Logan Thompson. The Caps also added a top-pairing defenseman in Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators and blue-liner Matt Roy to round out the defense.

But MacLellan didn’t stop there. Forwards Brandon Duhaime and Taylor Raddish will play key roles in Washington’s bottom six. MacLellan described the signings as follows:

“Just the elements they provide. The Chychrun thing, the offense, the shot, the ability to jump in the play, and then Roy is stabilizing.” MacLellan added, “And I think he has a little more offense too in his game, where he can jump into plays. He’s a good skater. So, I think the group skillset now seems to fit better now than it did before.”

MacLellan hopes the moves will allow the Capitals to improve on last year’s performance. The Caps barely made the playoffs before getting swept by the New York Rangers in the first round. This time around, Alex Ovechkin and the Caps hope to make a long playoff run.

Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals need to get better

Last year’s unceremonious first-round exit was a bitter pill to swallow for the Capitals. The Rangers held Alex Ovechkin pointless, as the Caps didn’t seem to get anything going in that series.

In that regard, MacLellan said, as per NHL.com:

“I think we realized where we were at last year. We knew we had to get better. We had to add. For Ovi, too. There was a lot of pressure on Ovi to produce last year because we lacked the depth in that area.”

Meanwhile, MacLellan hopes the changes made this off-season will lead to a much better outcome this upcoming season. He concluded:

“So hopefully, he's supported here more with a better overall team this year.”

On paper, the Capitals look to become a better team. With the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes failing to make a significant impact thus far in the off-season, the Capitals could have a chance to gain ground over their division rivals.

Perhaps this season will give Alex Ovechkin and company an opportunity to return to the Stanley Cup Final.