You really only need to watch one Washington Capitals power play to see the role Alex Ovechkin is playing.
He remains on the first unit for the man-up, but he’s a lot more limited than he once was.
This is Ovechkin’s final NHL season — he announced he’ll be retiring at the end of it — and the Caps surely won’t be in a rush to demote him from his long-standing role on the power play.
But it’s fair that some people are starting to call for a change.
Alex Ovechkin Power Play Problem
Ovechkin is limited in his mobility at this point, and so the Capitals are using him in a very stationary role on the power play.
When the puck is in the zone, he usually camps out in the left slot — a place he’s always gone, but in this case it has become particularly predictable and even less dynamic, because he’s unlikely to relocate before or after getting the puck.
When the Capitals are entering the zone, Ovechkin doesn’t do much. He pretty much waits at the blue line, then slides over it to join the attack once the puck has entered.
This is how one betting analyst, Josh Inglis, summed it up on X:
Here is a tough conversation to have
The Washington power play is basically 4on4 when Ovechkin is out there. Not much support anywhere. Struggles to gain zone.
27th coming into today
— Josh Inglis (@Covers_josh) October 15, 2026
Inglis added in a follow-up post: “They are a better unit without him on the ice right now.”
It does seem highly unlikely that the Capitals would rush to make a change here. Ovechkin is the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer.
But there does come a point when it’s worth considering what’s best for the team as a whole. It might be worth at least experimenting with other looks.
Alternatives for Capitals
Of course, if Ovechkin were to be taken off the top power play unit, the Capitals would need a logical replacement.
The obvious choices are two talented wingers that currently reside on their second power play unit: Ryan Leonard and Jordan Kyrou.
Leonard is a youngster, a rising star who could eventually have a season in which he leads the Capitals in goals.
Kyrou is the new guy, brought aboard in the offseason from the St. Louis Blues to add firepower.
Both would bring a different dimension to the Capitals’ top power play group than what Ovechkin currently is doing.
Ovi has had slow starts to a couple of other seasons in recent years, but it does stand to reason that his game would be in decline at this point.
It’s a conversation no one with the Capitals would want to have. Maybe it’s one worth having, though.
Alex Ovechkin Limiting Capitals’ Power Play