Capitals coach has a massive change planned for Alex Ovechkin

PUBLICATION

Daniel Lucente
September 20, 2024 (4:24 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Capitals coach Spencer Carbery has plans to shift Alex Ovechkin's position. The Great 8 could begin this season on the right wing instead of the left side.

Alex Ovechkin, widely regarded as one of the best-ever left wings in hockey, started the first day of Training Camp Thursday on the right wing, raising a few eyebrows. Even Dylan Strome, Ovechkin's regular center last season and again on Thursday, didn't notice the switch at first. Asked about it after the game, Strome looked confused and said he hadn't, assuming Ovechkin was on his left with Andrew Mangiapane on right.

Head coach Spencer Carbery would later explain the situation and say that Ovechkin had been skating at both wings. On the matter, Carbery mentioned that the team had discussed the possibility of Ovechkin playing more at right this season.

Of course, this isn't entirely unfamiliar to Ovechkin. When Adam Oates was head coach of the Capitals from 2012 through 2014, Ovechkin spent the majority of those two seasons on the right side of the ice. Oates made it a point to keep his players on their natural-handed sides during his time in D.C., despite Ovechkin's previous tenets of success coming as a right-handed left winger.

Over those two seasons, however, Ovechkin still managed to win the Rocket Richard Trophy as the top goal-scorer and even earned the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP in 2013. Some voters even got confused, sending him onto postseason All-Star teams as both a left and right wing. But despite all of the individual success, Ovechkin didn't seem as comfortable on the right side, and much of his scoring came via the power play, with 40 of his 83 goals during that span happening when Washington had the man advantage.

When the Capitals missed the playoffs in 2013, Oates was fired, and under the new head coach Barry Trotz, Alex Ovechkin quickly found himself in his usual left-wing position. He hasn't flipped back to the right side since then.