By this point, just about everyone has heard that Alexander Ovechkin left Sunday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets with an “upper body injury.” My first reaction was that coaches have become more elusive with their answers than a married man returning from a bachelor party. For the record, Ovechkin has listed himself as “day to day,” which leads me to believe this is nothing for anyone to get worked up over. But when Bruce Boudreau simply responded to questions about the severity of the injury with, “I don’t know,” he certainly fanned the flames of speculation.
Thankfully, I don't think this is how Ovechkin hurt his left shoulder...
My second reaction was to wonder if there was anyone in the league that was more valuable to their team than Ovechkin is to the Capitals. It’s not just the goals that he scores (although, that certainly doesn’t hurt), but it’s the energy he brings to the rink, the shots on goal that create scoring opportunities and room that he creates for the rest of his teammates. Not only does he lead the league in goals and points, but he also leads his team (and 12th in the NHL) in hits. This just in: Alexander Ovechkin is good.
If he misses any games due to the left shoulder injury he appears to have sustained, the Caps will have to figure out a way to replace the energy, grit AND scoring that he brings to the ice. That’s a ton to supplement considering its only one guy. So who else is so important to their team that their fans would ask for their playoff deposits back if he were injured? The season is young, but we’ve had a glimpse into how important some players are to their individual teams.
Most residents of Vancouver thought the Canucks couldn’t play without Roberto Luongo. But they’ve won 2 out of 3 since Lui went down with his fractured rib. Andrew Raycroft has a shutout and a shootout win to his credit in the 3 games started since he took over the starting job. His 1.66 GAA has him sitting on top of the league and his .932 save percentage is good for 3rd in the NHL (albeit through only 5 games played). More importantly, the Canucks are 2-1 with wins against two of the best teams in the West (Avs and Kings) since Raycroft took over. No one is saying that he’s going to replace Luongo as starting netminder for the next 12 years, but the Canucks haven’t dropped off the face of the Earth like some people feared they would.
He hasn't played a game for the Leafs; but is it possible that they can't live without him?
But that’s just an example of a team playing well and responding to adversity. Maybe the Canucks don’t depend on Luongo as much as people think they do. Check how the Hurricanes have responded to their playoff run last season. After last night’s 5-1 loss to the Sharks, the Hurricanes extended their losing streak to 9 games. NINE! Eric Cole had missed 10 games before returning last night. Tuomo Ruutu missed 3 games due to suspension. But neither of them helped turn around the horrific losing streak. Apparently, neither of those guys were the spark they needed.
If the rumors about Chad LaRose are true, then management certainly doesn’t think he’s the reason that they were successful last season. Other people have suggested that Ray Whitney isn’t the key to success and would be more valuable as trade bait than winger at the RBC Center. Was Patrick Eaves really that important last season? Maybe a healthy Tim Gleason would help. If not him, then who could it be?
If the Hurricanes are an example of a grease fire with no ONE SINGLE cause, the Avalanche make it pretty simple to see how important one guy can be. Looking at the turnaround they’ve demonstrated at the beginning of the season, it’s easy to look at the great rookies as the reason for the hot start. Matt Duchene was a likely choice (or maybe even Ryan O’Reilly); but do you think the Colorado Avalanche would be where they’re at without Craig Anderson? You don’t believe me? Take a look at their record last year. Goaltenders can change everything. Take him and his unbelievable play away from the Avs and they’re just a team that has been outshot in just about every one of their games. Yes, it really is that simple.
In Toronto, I don’t get the feeling that people are crying over the loss of Pavel Kubina as the reason for their slow start. No, Leaf fans think they are just missing a guy from their team that they’ve never seen play on their team before. You KNOW they have to be praying that Phil Kessel is the answer to all their problems. Maybe that’s all they need—just add a guy that they didn’t have last year and who they have no idea how he’ll bounce back from his shoulder injury. Or how he’ll handle the media in Toronto. Or how he’ll gel with his new teammates. Or how he’ll play without Marc Savard. That’s a ton of disclaimers for a man that has been looked at to turn around the Leafs dismal start.
People can say whatever they want about the depth of the Capitals or how he’s just ONE player; but no one player does as much for his team as Ovechkin does in DC. Bruce Boudreau is a stand up guy; but he should have said a few Hail Mary’s on his way home from the MCI/Verizon/AOL/Whatever Center on Sunday night. We’ll see how “day-to-day” translates from Russian to real life.
Are there any players on YOUR team you can’t live without? Women, I’m not talking about a guy like Sheldon Souray—I’m talking about actual play ON THE ICE! Who’s the player on your team that if you lost, you’d be completely screwed?
Matt Reitz
Matt Reitz is an NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports and the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com. When he's not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he's usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It's a never-ending job.
