Alex Ovechkin took plenty of heat last season for his minus-35 rating, but new Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz offered a much different critique of the winger to reporters Saturday.
"Alex has a little too much glide maybe in his game," Trotz said, via Scott Burnside of ESPN.com. "He's trying to score too much. He's getting not as much space, actually.
"When he's moving, he can do things with the puck, he can beat you with his skill, he can beat you with his size and speed and hold you off."
Trotz would like to see Ovechkin skate back hard when he's without the puck so that when the Capitals are in possession, he's in a better position to create scoring chances.
"Sometimes when you're standing still, you think, 'Hey I'm in a position where if I get the puck I'll score,' but you're easier to cover," Trotz said. "We talked about that. That's a process. But I think he gets a little less glide in his game, he'll be as dynamic and hard to handle as he ever was."
