Alex Ovechkin Officially Lands in Washington After Talks About Not Leaving Russia..

While some players have had difficulty returning to North America, the former 2004 first-overall pick has had no problems. Earlier this summer, Russian players like Ivan Fedotov and Kirill Kaprizov had issues with the Russian police. Philadephia Flyers prospect Ivan Fedotov still has not returned to North Americas after being transferred to a military base in northern Russia following his arrest.

Due to these events, many Caps fans were worried that Alex Ovechkin might not return. Ovi has often shown in the past that he supports President Vladimir Putin, and this could be the reason why he had no problems with his return. Last Tuesday, his agent Gleb Chistyakov announced that his client would return. With that, he reassured a whole fanbase. A season without Ovechkin would be a disaster for the Washington Capitals and the NHL.

Next season, Ovechkin will try to score his 800 goals in the NHL. He will also try to record his 10th 50-goal season of his career. In addition, he is only 21 goals behind Gordie Howe on the all-time scoring list. If he overtakes him, he would be behind only Wayne Gretzky.

The Washington Capitals will be interesting to follow this season. GM Brian MacLellan has made many great moves this off-season, including the signing of goalie Darcy Kuemper, forward Connor Brown, and center Dylan Strome. Washington will most likely be in the playoffs, although nothing is certain in the Metropolitan Division this year.