Alex Ovechkin won't be taking part in the NHL All-Star Game because the Washington Capitals are rightfully focused on something more significant.
Related: Capitals' Kuznetsov replaces Ovechkin in All-Star Game
Ovechkin is arguably the NHL's best goal-scorer, and if he's not fully healthy, the Capitals are absolutely right to hold him out of a midseason spectacle if it benefits their best player and the club in the long run.
Washington boasts the league's best record, and is the clear favorite to win the Stanley Cup. This could be the club's best chance ever to win a championship, and that's not worth jeopardizing for on an exhibition game and a skills contest.
Braden Holtby, Nicklas Backstrom, and Evgeny Kuznetsov will represent the Capitals at the All-Star festivities, but Ovechkin is the team's most important player and as such, he deserves the break.
"Would I like to have Ovi in Nashville? Absolutely, but you have to think about the big picture," Washington head coach Barry Trotz, who'll also coach the Metropolitan Division All-Stars, said Wednesday.
"The big picture for my ownership, my general manager, my (dressing) room - the players in our room, our team, and our fans is that we have to make the right decision."
Trotz is prioritizing the long-term success of the Capitals over getting Ovechkin a share of the $1 million awarded to the winning All-Star team in the NHL's new divisional 3-on-3 tournament.
"We are in the entertainment business, I get that, but you don't get two points for that game, you get prize money," Trotz said Wednesday. "To us, it's not about the prize money. We have a bigger goal, and if we want to get to where we want to get to, we can't do it without Alex Ovechkin being 100 percent."
Washington had two games postponed by the snowstorm last weekend, and Ovechkin will miss the first game after the break as punishment for skipping the All-Star events.
That means he'll only play two games between the Capitals' win over the Columbus Blue Jackets back on Jan. 19 and the next time he's eligible on Feb. 4 against the New York Islanders.
Two of the last 10 Presidents' Trophy winners have won the Stanley Cup, so having the best record and a few star players doesn't guarantee anything. Still, holding Ovechkin out of the All-Star Game illustrates just how serious the Capitals are about challenging for hockey's Holy Grail in June.
