Alexander Ovechkin is still the main show in town

 Even after all these years, Russian superstar Alexander Ovechkin is still the leading scorer with the Washington Capitals. The offense flows through him, and
given the state of other sports in the DC area, it's not too far a stretch to say he is the biggest athlete going in the nation's capital right now.

Of course, just like the rest of DC teams, the Caps are not in playoff position right now. They are 9th in the East, but 5 points out of the second wild card spot, It's a far cry from the halcyon days of the Capitals, who have watched the rest of the Southeast pass them by. 

It's not hard to see that things are off with the Caps. Yes, Alexander Ovechkin is still the leading scorer for Washington, but were he on, say, the Minnesota Wild, in about the same position out West, Ovechkin would be #5 in points. Ovi is still leading the Capitals, but instead of a pronouncement of his extensive talent, it is more of a condemnation of the rest of the team.

Decent goaltending and a solid backline are keeping the Caps in the hunt, even as their offense runs through a 38 year old on the downside of his career. In fact, they are close enough with few enough teams ahead of them that they might take a swing at the deadline to get them back in.

And well they should. For most teams, most players, I would say Ovechkin himself should be on his way out of town, but not someone who has spent nearly 20 years associated with the organization. Not the greatest player ever in the organization. The Caps are simply better off giving Ovechkin a send off, rather than trying start building for next year, with or without Ovechkin.

Sometimes building a team back is the right move, but Alexander Ovechkin is the best thing Washington has going on the sports scene. Let him keep doing that through the rest of the year.