As part of NHL.com’s 32 in 32 series, the fantasy hockey staff ranks the top five Washington Capitals players for standard leagues and provides skater points and goalie wins projections for the 2025-26 season.
NHL.com point projection: 64
Ovechkin (897 career goals), who broke Wayne Gretzky‘s all-time NHL goals record last season at the age of 39, ranked among the League leaders in goals (44; tied for third), goals per game (0.68; second, minimum 10 games), power-play goals (14; tied for fifth) and shots on goal per game (3.65; seventh, minimum 10 games). Despite playing 65 games, it was the 12th time in Ovechkin’s 20 NHL seasons that he ranked among the League’s top three in goals, tying Gordie Howe for the most in League history. While Ovechkin’s record-setting season combined his highest shooting percentage (18.6 percent) with his lowest average ice time per game (17:43), he remains a fringe top-20 overall player in fantasy given his consistently high shot volume and power-play prowess.