Welcome to another edition of the Hockeybuzz hotstove.
Today's we're doing things a little different and going with an over/under.
The O/U: 52.5 goals for Alexander Ovechkin this season.
Todd Cordell: Under
I think Ovechkin will come close, but I can't see this happening. He hasn't scored 53 goals or more since the 2008-09 season, and playing under a defensive minded coach in Barry Trotz won't help his cause.
Factor in that Trotz plans on cutting his power play ice down this season, and I think there's too much working against him reaching that total regardless of how good he is.
Ryan Wilson Under I am going under. It has nothing to do with the player. I think he is more than capable of lighting the lamp, he is the best at it. I have reservations about another "defensive" minded coach that is going to try and turn Ovechkin into something that he is not, a 200 foot responsible player.
Just let the guy do what he does great. Every player that steps on the ice has is trying to accomplish one thing, to score goals, Ovechkin is the best at that. Embrace it, otherwise you lose what he does best and the responsible play won't even be that great either.
For this reason I am going under. For Capitals fans sake, I hope it is the over because that will mean Trotz isn't suffocating yet another team's offense.
James Tanner: Over Unsurprisingly, I'll take the over on this one. Ovechkin is the best winger in the NHL. He is by far the best pure goal scorer and I think that moving back his left, having a better team and a better coach is going to have him threatening his career numbers.
Some people think Trotz will hold him back, but perhaps Trotz just has the reputation he does because he never had a guy like Ovechkin during his time in Nashville.
If health permits, I predict OV to go over and approach the 60 mark.
Tim Chiasson: Under I’m going under, even if under means 50. Ovechkin is going to continue to take a lot of shots so he’s going to score a lot of goals but he doesn't have the supporting cast to get him north of 52. Barry Trotz isn't a miracle worker that has come in to make Ovechkin score 60-70 goals. Barry Trotz has never even seen a player of his score more than 33 goals in a single season so I don’t have confidence in his ability to squeeze more goals out of Ovi. I think Ovechkin’s goal production goes down this year, unless Washington can lead the league in PP opportunities.
Recent posts