Washington Capitals

Four fans were ejected Saturday night in Chicago for directing racially charged taunts toward Washington Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly during the Blackhawks' 7-1 win.

According to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post, a Caps spokesman said the fans yelled "basketball, basketball, basketball" at Smith-Pelly while he was in the penalty box.

Capitals head coach Barry Trotz took issue with the fans after the game, as seen in this video courtesy of NBC Sports Washington's Tarik El-Bashir:

Trotz called the taunts "disgusting."

The Blackhawks released the following statement and apologized to Smith-Pelly, per Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, and the NHL also released a statement (h/t ESPN.com's Greg Wyshynski):

The 25-year-old Smith-Pelly, who is black, is in the midst of his first season with the Caps.

Saturday's incident occurred after Smith-Pelly was assessed a five-minute penalty for fighting Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy.

On Thursday, Smith-Pelly squirted a heckling fan with his water bottle while in the penalty box during a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.

In 54 games this season, Smith-Pelly has seven goals and nine assists for 16 points.

He is in the midst of his seventh NHL campaign after having previously played for the Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils.

The Washington Capitals welcomed Alex Luey, a 13-year-old cancer survivor from Canada, into their locker room on Saturday. Washington team captain Alex Ovechkin made sure it was a special night for Luey. 

According to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, Luey recently found out he was cancer free and received a video message from his favorite player, Ovechkin, inviting him to the game. 

Ovechkin put on a show for Luey, scoring a hat trick and leading the Capitals to a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Despite Ovechkin's standout performance, it was Luey who received player of the game honors afterward:

Washington Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin became the first NHL player in 100 years to tally back-to-back hat tricks to open a season. 

Ovechkin piled up three goals Thursday evening against the Ottawa Senators, and he didn't waste any time adding to his statistical ledger Saturday when he found the back of the net three times in the first period versus the Montreal Canadiens. 

The NHL's public relations department provided context to illuminate just how rare Ovechkin's achievement was: 

With six goals and counting, Ovechkin has already accumulated 18 percent of his total (33 goals) from last season. 

That said, the 2016-17 campaign was something of a rare step back for the 11-time All-Star. 

Although Ovechkin appeared in all 82 games for the Presidents' Trophy winners, he recorded fewer than 50 goals in a season for the first time in a non-lockout campaign since 2011-12. 

But after starting the season in scalding fashion, it won't be a surprise if Ovechkin cracks the half-century mark once again as both he and the Capitals pursue postseason success that's proved elusive during his tenure with the club. 

Alex Ovechkin had been doing everything he could to compete in the Olympics for Russia, but he now admits that this dream is dead.

"I said every time I was asked since last Olympics that nobody is going to tell me I can't play because my country was going to be allowed to ask me," Ovechkin said in a statement, per Emily Kaplan of ESPN. "Now the IIHF and NHL say my country is not allowed to ask anybody in the NHL to play and there is nothing to talk about anymore."

The NHL announced in April it would not allow its players to compete in the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang.

NHL players had been allowed to compete in the Winter Olympics since 1998, with the league usually adjusting the schedule to create a break. However, the league cited the 17-day break as too much of an inconvenience for teams next season.

Owners also likely aren't thrilled at the possibility of players participating in extra competitions and possibly getting hurt.

When Ovechkin originally planned to go against the NHL's wishes and participate in the Olympics anyway, Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said he would allow it.

"He's given so much to our organization, and I would respect what he wanted to do and be very supportive of him," Leonsis said last December, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com.

The 31-year-old was still hopeful of making the trip to South Korea this summer, but the International Ice Hockey Federation and NHL couldn't come to an agreement to allow players to compete.

Ovechkin has competed at the last three Olympics, failing to bring home a single medal for Russia. He has had more success at the IIHF World Championships, helping his team win gold as recently as 2014. Still, he wants to make at least another appearance in the Olympics.

"NHL players in the Olympics is good for hockey and good for Olympics," he wrote in his statement. "It sucks that will we not be there to play!!"

The Washington Capitals on Sunday announced they re-signed center Evgeny Kuznetsov to an eight-year contract worth $62.4 million.

"Evgeny is a premier center in the NHL and we are pleased that he will remain in Washington for at least the next eight years," general manager Brian MacLellan. "It is difficult to find a player of his caliber, who is in his prime and makes his teammates better. Evgeny plays with a tremendous skill, speed and tenacity needed to win in the NHL."

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), the Capitals traded forward Marcus Johansson to the New Jersey Devils for two draft picks to clear the cap space for Kuznetsov's new deal.

While it took some sacrifice to keep the offensive force in Washington, he has proved his worth over the past couple of seasons. The team's announcement noted his 77 points in 2015-16 led the team, making him the first player beside Alex Ovechkin or Nicklas Backstrom to lead the Capitals in that regard since 2003-04.

In addition to the goalscoring opportunities Kuznetsov creates for himself and teammates, he is particularly durable. He played a full 82 games in each of the past two seasons and 80 in the 2014-15 campaign.

He notched 59 points on 40 assists and 19 goals in 2016-17 and helped the Capitals win their second straight Presidents' Trophy. Considering he is only 25, Kuznetsov figures to be a critical piece of Washington's offense for years to come.

The Washington Capitals announced Friday they agreed to an eight-year deal with T.J. Oshie.

According to the team's release, the deal is worth $46 million.

"T.J. is an invaluable member of our team and we felt it was imperative for us to re-sign him in a competitive free agent market," general manager Brian MacLellan said. "T.J. is a highly competitive player with a tremendous skill set; he epitomizes the kind of player our team must have in order for us to continue to put ourselves in a position to compete in this League."

The 30-year-old forward is coming off the best scoring season of his NHL career. He contributed 33 goals to the Capitals, who were the third-highest scoring team in the league (261 goals). Oshie also assisted on 23 goals, bringing his total point count to 56—his second-most in a single season.

As a result of his strong performance, Oshie was one of the best attacking options on the free-agent market this offseason.

During an interview on 106.7 The Fan in May (h/t CBS DC's Chris Lingebach), CSN Mid-Atlantic's Alan May envisioned a major upheaval on the Capitals roster, with Oshie, Kevin Shattenkirk, Justin Williams, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov all hitting free agency:

"So there are and will be drastic changes. And the team will look dramatically different, but there's no reason you can't do a reboot right away with different players and a different mind, so I don't think you can just throw in the towel, but there will be huge moves during the offseason."

Because the Capitals have so many other considerations to make, some had already begun planning for Oshie's departure. And there's no question Washington would've been worse off in the short term had he signed elsewhere.

With that said, the Capitals are assuming some risk by giving Oshie a new contract when his value is almost certainly higher than it ever will be again.

At the very least, it's reasonable to expect Oshie won't get any better than he was in his two years with Washington. Oshie's 0.49 goals per game were nearly double his career average (0.29), per Hockey Reference.

If he continues to play at or near that level over the duration of his deal with the Capitals, then he'll provide a nice return on the investment. Should he begin to decline—a very real possibility given his age and overall track record—then his salary becomes more of an albatross on the team's payroll.

By re-signing Oshie, the Capitals are essentially casting aside one or two players who were valuable to their postseason run for financial concerns. That would exacerbate the consequences in the event Oshie's performance begins trending downward. 

Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan revealed Tuesday that the Caps could trade superstar left winger Alexander Ovechkin if someone offered a "legitimate hockey deal," but for now, he expects the forward to remain a "big part" of the team moving forward.          

Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press passed along MacLellan's full response concerning Ovechkin's potential offseason availability:

The three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner as the NHL's Most Valuable Player has been the focus of speculation since Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated the Capitals in the second round of the 2017 NHL playoffs.

Ovechkin, who's scored 1,035 points in 921 games over his career, wasn't his usually dynamic self during the postseason run. He tallied eight points (five goals and three assists) in 13 games. His wife, Nastya Ovechkina, later disclosed he was dealing with a leg injury during the playoffs, via Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports passed along comments NHL Network insider Elliotte Friedman made in mid-May about the dynamics of a possible blockbuster trade.

"I think if the Washington Capitals wanted to trade him—and that's an if—I think they'd have no problem finding a partner," Friedman said. "Alexander Ovechkin would sell tickets. He would sell out buildings. And even though we're talking about this being a down year for him, he still scored 33 goals, and he can make your power play lethal. I don't think they would have any trouble trading Alexander Ovechkin if they wanted to."

The two biggest concerns are a dip in production and his contract.

Ovechkin scored 71 points during the 2015-16 campaign and 69 points this past season. Those represent two of the three lowest full-season scoring totals of his illustrious career. He tallied more than 100 points in four of his first five seasons but hasn't cracked 90 in the seven years since, though it's fair to argue the game has changed over the past decade to a more defensive style.

Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Russia native carries a cap hit of just over $9.5 million until 2021 in his contract. That's a large percentage of the salary cap to sink into a single player who ranked tied for 20th in the league in scoring this year.

MacLellan's refusal to rule out an Ovechkin deal should make for an intriguing summer of storylines in Washington. That said, a trade would still qualify as a major long shot.

Despite three straight disappointing exits from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Washington Capitals will bring back head coach Barry Trotz for the 2017-18 season. 

Per Brian McNally of 106.7 The Fan, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said during an interview with reporters Trotz would return next season for the final year of his current deal.

The Capitals have been unable to get over the huge playoff hurdle in their way. Trotz took over prior to the 2014-15 season and has led the team to three straight postseason appearances, including back-to-back Presidents' Trophies in 2015-16 and 2016-17. 

Success in the regular season has not translated into a Stanley Cup title for Trotz and the Capitals, though. They have been eliminated in the second round in each of Trotz's three seasons as head coach, including each of the past two years by the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

In 18 seasons as an NHL head coach with the Capitals and Nashville Predators, Trotz has a 557-479-60 record in the regular season but is just 19-31 in 50 playoff games. 

Washington Capitals star forward Alex Ovechkin confirmed Friday he won't need offseason surgery after battling through hamstring and knee injuries during the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Ovechkin said he tried to fight through the pain to help the Caps advance, per ESPN.com. The team's run ended with a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday night.

"You don't want to play with any sort of injury, obviously," he said. "Of course, you don't feel 100 percent, you don't [have] strength in your leg, but you play through that, you know? Some players play with broken hand, broken leg, and you know, because it's the playoffs. You have to sacrifice your body to get success and get the result."

The 31-year-old Russian winger wasn't his usually dynamic self during the Capitals' playoff run. He tallied just eight points (five goals and three assists) across 13 games and was demoted to the third line late in the Penguins series.

On Friday, RMNB provided a photo from Nastya Ovechkina, the NHL player's wife, showing how bad his leg looked after the season-ending loss:

Ovechkin scored 33 goals and tallied 36 assists during the regular season. He's scored at least 65 points in every season with the exception of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign during his 12-year career.

Although the injuries prevented the three-time MVP from traveling to Europe to represent Russia in the 2017 IIHF World Championship this month, all signs point to a full recovery before the start of next season.

"I still have three months until training camp," Ovechkin said, per ESPN.com. "Come back here healthy and strong and back on track."

The Great Eight is under contract with the Capitals through the 2020-21 season.

Alex Ovechkin's playoff turmoil continued when the Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated his Washington Capitals on Wednesday in the second round. It's now clear the NHL star played through a significant leg injury.

After Ovechkin once again fell short of the Stanley Cup and conference finals, the Russian Hockey Federation said he received pain injections to treat a leg injury. Per the Washington Post's Jesse Dougherty, the 31-year-old refused to use his ailments as an excuse.

"Of course you don't feel 100 percent—you don’t [have] strength in your leg—but you play through that, you know? Some players play with broken hand, broken leg, and you know, because it’s the playoffs," Ovechkin said. "You have to sacrifice your body to get success and get the result.”

It appears he undersold his condition. His wife, Nastya Ovechkina, posted a gruesome photo of his discolored leg in an Instagram story.

Playing below 100 percent, Ovechkin failed to record a point in three of Washington's final four games. Despite the unpleasant injury, critics will nonetheless question his toughness and his legacy following another abbreviated playoff stint.

[Russian Machine Never Breaks]