Ovechkin turns attention to Capitals staying a Cup contender

ARLINGTON, Va. — Alex Ovechkin is ready to get the Olympics out of his head and prepare for what could be a very different Washington Capitals season.

Gone are forwards Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson and Daniel Winnik and defencemen Karl Alzner, Nate Schmidt and Kevin Shattenkirk, and yet Ovechkin still considers the Capitals a good team and winning the Stanley Cup his priority. With the Russian superstar going into his 13th season, Washington has three firstand six second-round exits to show for the Ovechkin era.

External expectations are lower for the Capitals this season considering how much talent they lost. Ovechkin also turns 32 on Sunday and is coming off his lowest goal output in an 82-game season since 2010-11.

Ovechkin did more running and less lifting over the summer as general manager Brian MacLellan challenged him to train differently to prioritize speed over power. But Ovechkin downplayed losing weight or going on any kind of special diet.