Alex Ovechkin is a fan of at least one of Brian MacLellan’s offseason moves this summer.
Wednesday, during Development Camp, the Capitals GM met with reporters and was asked if anyone in the leadership group had give their thoughts about the retooled roster.
“No, not yet,” MacLellan said. “Ovi checked in in the middle of it.”
“What was his input?” asked Monumental Sports Network’s Tarik El-Bashir.
“He just, you know, the thumbs up emoji,” MacLellan responded, sending the press into laughter. “I can’t remember [after which move] — I think it was Dubois. He’s been a little quiet lately.”
Ovechkin is currently vacationing with his family in Turkey. The Capitals acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Los Angeles Kings on June 19 in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
“I think we realized where we were at last year,” MacLellan said. “We knew we had to get better. We had to add. For Ovi, too. I mean, there’s a lot of pressure on Ovi to produce last year because we lacked the depth in that area. So hopefully, he’s supported here more with a better overall team this year.”
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Dubois could end up centering Ovechkin on the first line next season. Dubois’s feelings about the trade were similar to Ovechkin’s.
“The moment I found out it was the Washington Capitals, I was extremely excited,” Dubois said. “They’re a team that growing up you were excited to watch on TV. They’re a good team every year. And then when you grow up, you hear it’s a great organization with a great group there. My emotions went from surprise and shock to just really excited. Once I talked to the coaching staff, management, a few players, I couldn’t be more excited to get there.
“To be able to play with the best goal scorer of my generation and hopefully, one day soon the best goal scorer in NHL history is pretty crazy to think of.”
Several years ago, Dubois revealed in an interview that he really likes playing with Russian linemates. In the past, he’s skated with Artemi Panarin and Evgeny Svechnikov.
“I just love the way they play,” he said. “I love the way they space out the game.”
