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Alex Ovechkin reveals why he purposely didn't break goals record vs. Blackhawks
With his two goals on Friday night in a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky's NHL record with 894 goals scored. He had what seemed to be a prime opportunity to break it and become the NHL's all-time leading goal-scorer in the final minute when the Blackhawks pulled goalie Spencer Knight for an extra attacker.
But Ovechkin did not get the goal empty-net goal, with that honor instead going to rookie Ryan Leonard for his first NHL goal.
That was not an accident, and it was very much by design.
Ovechkin simply did not want his record-breaking goal to come without a goalie in the net.
Ovechkin: “I tell him I don’t want empty net (for 895)” pic.twitter.com/c3vUYwCzkG
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) April 5, 2025
On one hand, it is very admirable — and not surprising — that Ovechkin wants the record to be broken against a goalie. Perhaps even on one of his signature one-timers from the circle on the power play, or some sort of highlight reel play that will be remembered.
An empty-net goal would take away some of the luster from the moment.
Not all of it. But certainly some of it.
But it was also a perfect opportunity to break the record on what would have been a hat-trick goal, and in front of the hometown fans in Washington. All of that would have certainly made up for the lack of a goalie.
But that did not matter to Ovechkin, who clearly has a vision in mind for how he wants this moment to go. If he goes a few more games this season without scoring a goal he may change his mind on that vision.
Now the Capitals are traveling for Sunday's game at the New York Islanders, creating the opportunity for Ovechkin to break the record on the road. Capitals fans certainly do not care where he does it, but doing it at home would have certainly added another layer of excitement to the moment.
If he does not break the record on Sunday against the Islanders, the Capitals will return home on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Of the Capitals' six remaining regular season games this season, only two more of them are at home.
More must-reads:
- Watch: Alex Ovechkin ties Wayne Gretzky for most NHL goals all-time
- Watch: Alex Ovechkin scores goal No. 893, two from passing Wayne Gretzky
- The 'Most 30-goal NHL seasons' quiz
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Vancouver Canucks’ Top 10 Prospects: 2025-26 Preseason Edition
The Vancouver Canucks added six new prospects to their pool at the 2025 NHL Draft, including two that now appear in this year’s top five. A couple also graduated from the 2024-25 top-five in Aatu Raty (fourth) and Elias Pettersson (fifth), who have eclipsed the 25 NHL-game threshold to be considered a prospect. So, with that said, let’s take a look at the current top 10 for 2025-26. 10. Ty Mueller, Centre – 2023, 105th Overall After three seasons in the NCAA with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Ty Mueller made his debut in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season. He promptly put up a career-high 39 points in 64 games, numbers well above what he had ever produced in college. He also became one of head coach Manny Malhotra’s most trusted centres and penalty killers, often taking key draws in the defensive zone and at the end of the game when his team was protecting the lead. His two-way game shone throughout the season and into the playoffs, where he added another three goals and 12 points in 24 games as the Canucks won the Calder Cup for the first time in their history. “This league is all about developing and evolving your game and Ty is one of those guys who has adapted well and done well with the minutes that he has been given,” said Malhotra. “He’s already grown a lot. He’s taking on more minutes, he does both special teams, and he has an ability to just fit in and plug his game in with any two wingers. I give him credit; he’s done a really good job with his ability to adapt to the pro game.” Mueller not only impressed his head coach, but the parent club as well. He was called up near the end of the season and made his NHL debut against the Minnesota Wild on April 12, where he played 10:56 and had a shot on goal. He also played against the San Jose Sharks the following game before he was sent back down to Abbotsford. All in all, he had a standout rookie season in the pro leagues, increasing his stock in the Canucks’ prospect pool and further solidifying his potential as a versatile bottom-six centre in the mould of Teddy Blueger and maybe even as high as Malhotra one day. 9. Sawyer Mynio, Left Defence – 2023, 89th Overall It’s looking more and more like Sawyer Mynio will be flashing more offence in the NHL than initially expected. While he regressed a tad from his career-high 16 goals and 53 points in 2023-24, he still put up 14 goals and 45 points split between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Calgary Hitmen last season. Since his draft year, when I stated in his profile that he could become a defensive defenceman like Jaccob Slavin or Chris Tanev, he has 30 goals and 98 points in 112 games, nearly double what he had in his first two seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Mynio’s potential has flown past those two stalwart defensive defencemen and into the realm of a two-way defenceman like Alex Edler, who was great defensively but could also put up 40-50 points. It will be interesting to see if he can translate his recent production to the AHL this season. He will likely be in Abbotsford most of the time, but could get a call-up or two depending on the injury situation in Vancouver. 8. Danila Klimovich, Right Wing – 2021, 41st Overall If there were an award for bounce-back player of the year, it would definitely go to Danila Klimovich. He went from only two goals in 2023-24 to a career-high 25 last season and reestablished himself as a top prospect for the Canucks. He wasn’t in my top 15 last offseason, but has jumped into the top 10 this time around. When he was drafted back in 2021, his calling card was his lethal shot, soft hands, and creativity. He showcased that many times in Abbotsford last season, especially his wrist shot, which, as mentioned, got him a team-leading 25 goals. He only had four goals in the playoffs, but when he did score, they were at clutch times, as three of them were game-winners. If he can put together another season like that in 2025-26, his first call from Vancouver will come at some point. 7. Arshdeep Bains, Left Wing – Undrafted Arshdeep Bains continues to defy the odds and make a name for himself as an undrafted free agent. Now entering his fourth season in the AHL, he has 40 goals and 136 points in 175 games and an impressive 11 goals and 31 points in 36 playoff games. He is also coming off a Calder Cup victory where he was one of Abbotsford’s top performers, hitting point-per-game status with seven goals and 24 points in 24 games. If not for Arturs Silovs’ brilliance throughout the postseason and Linus Karlsson’s goal scoring, he might have been one of the frontrunners for MVP. Not too bad for a guy that no one wanted in the draft and had to wait to be signed as a free agent. While Bains hasn’t shown that type of production in the NHL yet (he just scored his first NHL goal last season – his only point in 21 career games), he hasn’t looked out of place. He has even lined up alongside Elias Pettersson and JT Miller in the top six, thanks to his work ethic and forechecking, and impressed the Canucks enough to earn himself a two-year extension in the offseason. As general manager Patrik Allvin stated in the press release following the signing, they expect him to make a strong push for a roster spot in training camp and potentially become a regular part of the bottom-six this season. “Arshdeep had another solid season in Abbotsford as he continues to develop and mature,” said Allvin. “His game found another gear late in the AHL playoffs when he stepped up and helped lead the way offensively with several big goals. Arsh is now familiar with our system and style of play, and we expect him to push hard for a spot in September.” The Canucks have had a lot of success with undrafted players in the past, and it’s looking more and more like Bains will eventually join the likes of Tanev and Alex Burrows in the success story bracket. He has a long way to go to hit their levels of experience, but I wouldn’t bet against him, given what he’s done since being invited to Red Deer Rebels rookie camp in 2017-18. 6. Linus Karlsson, Right Wing – Acquired From the Sharks in 2019 There were a lot of Abbotsford Canucks that stood out during their run to the Calder Cup, but Karlsson took it to another level. By the time they were raising the Cup over their heads, he had 14 goals in 24 games, breaking an AHL Playoff record for goals by a Swedish player. The previous record was held by Andreas Johnsson and Mikael Andersson, who each had 10, so he not only broke it, he blew well past it. During the season, he also became Abbotsford’s all-time leading goalscorer, passing Sheldon Dries on March 11 against the Bakersfield Condors with his 66th career goal. Karlsson now has 70 goals and 148 points in 164 games, and is poised to fight for a spot in Vancouver this season, armed with a new one-way contract. He has had some success in the NHL so far with three goals and six points in 27 games, with all of his points coming last season when he played 23 games and was the Canucks’ primary call-up when injuries hit the roster. 5. Kirill Kudryavtsev, Left Defence – 2022, 208th Overall After his rookie season in the AHL, the verdict is clear: the Canucks have a late-round gem in Kirill Kudryavtsev. He made his debut in the pro leagues last season and impressed everyone with his calm, calculated game, along with a dash of offence, putting up five goals and 26 points alongside a solid plus-18 in the plus/minus column. He then followed that up with an even more impressive playoff run with a goal and 10 points, leading the AHL with a plus-18. Kudryavtsev also made his NHL debut last season, getting into two games against the Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights, where he played 13:33 and 14:43, respectively. He was solid, if unspectacular, the perfect blend for a two-way defenceman. With that rookie season under his belt, he has entered the top five and the second defenceman behind Tom Willander, who paces the list. 4. Alexei Medvedev, Goaltender – 2025, 47th Overall Selected in the second round (47th overall) of the 2025 Draft, Alexei Medvedev is now the Canucks’ top goaltending prospect. While Nikita Tolopilo and Aku Koskenvuo may be higher on the depth chart right now, Medvedev has the higher ceiling and might end up being Thatcher Demko’s heir apparent as the Canucks’ starting goaltender of the future. With Demko or Kevin Lankinen in the crease for the next five years, he has plenty of time to develop and could be ready to take the reins as soon as 2029-30. Lankinen will still be under contract, so he could conceivably be his veteran backup, that is, if Medvedev is deemed ready for the NHL by then. As for this season, Medvedev will return to the London Knights after a strong 2024-25 campaign that saw him go 22-8-2 alongside a 2.79 goals-against average (GAA), .912 save percentage (SV%) and three shutouts. He is set to be the Knights’ starter with Austin Elliott graduating, so it will be interesting to see how he does with the full responsibility of the crease. Regardless, he will be one of the Canucks’ top goaltending prospects to watch this season, seeing that he’s the first goaltender drafted in the second round since Demko, who was selected 36th overall in 2014. 3. Braeden Cootes, Centre – 2025, 15th Overall Braeden Cootes is coming off a career-high 26 goals and 63 points with the Seattle Thunderbirds, a season where he co-captained the team before Mynio was traded to the Hitmen. He then became the full captain for the rest of the season. He also wore the “C” for Team Canada at the 2025 U18 World Championship and led them to a gold medal over Sweden. He had a team-leading six goals and 12 points, finishing as a top-three player for Canada, while posting a tournament-best 71.79 faceoff percentage. While it might be too early to expect Cootes to hit his ceiling as a top-six center right out of the gate, he could make the Canucks out of training camp and, at the very least, play nine games and then get sent back to the WHL. It was confirmed by insider Rick Dhaliwal shortly after being selected 15th overall that Cootes would not be joining an NCAA team, but returning to the Thunderbirds if he doesn’t make the NHL roster. With Cootes signing his entry-level contract (ELC), it adds a little more intrigue to training camp, especially if the Canucks haven’t addressed their need for a second-line centre by then. He has the play style to make it early in his career, similar to Bo Horvat when he played his first full season in the NHL at 19 years old. Cootes would be doing it a year earlier, but given his work ethic and two-way game, I wouldn’t put it past him to surprise everyone and play past the nine-game trial period. 2. Jonathan Lekkerimaki – Right Wing – 2022, 15th Overall Jonathan Lekkerimaki is very close to graduating from this ranking, but as of this writing, he’s still eligible. After getting a taste of pro hockey in 2023-24 when he got into only six games and recorded his first AHL goal and assist, he split his time between Abbotsford and Vancouver last season, recording 19 goals and 28 points in the former and three goals and six points in the latter. His first NHL goal came on Nov. 14 against the New York Islanders, where he showcased his one-timer, blasting it by Semyon Varlamov to open the scoring. While his snipe-show of a wrist shot wasn’t seen often in the NHL – except for the shootout when he expertly hit the top corner on former Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom on March 25 – the Abbotsford faithful became very familiar with it throughout his rookie season. Lekkerimaki is not ready to be a full-time NHLer…yet. He is close, though. Thankfully, the Canucks don’t have to rush him into his expected ceiling of a perennial 25-30-goal scorer. After signing Brock Boeser and extending Conor Garland, they have two capable top-six wingers for the foreseeable future. There was a time when it looked like Lekkerimaki would have to fill Boeser’s shoes on the top line this season, but that is no longer the case. He can marinate in the AHL for another year, play top-line minutes and run the power play, and then come in next season with a ton of confidence. I have no doubt that he will be a fixture on Elias Pettersson’s wing soon enough; it just may not be this season. 1. Tom Willander – Right Defence – 2023, 11th Overall After being third on this list last offseason behind Lekkerimaki and Silovs, Tom Willander takes over the top spot this time around. The smooth-skating defenceman will be making his NHL debut at some point this season now that he’s signed to his ELC. It took a bit of time before he put pen to paper, but he is set to turn pro after playing two solid seasons for Boston University, where he scored six goals and 49 points in 77 games. He has the ceiling of a top-four defender and could partner with Quinn Hughes and complement his game like Devon Toews does for Cale Makar in Colorado. That might not happen right away, but he has all the tools to be a pillar on this Canucks defence for many years to come – hopefully alongside Hughes for more than just the next two seasons. Willander will be in tough to make the roster out of training camp, given the Canucks’ deep defence corps this season. He will have to beat out the recently graduated Elias Pettersson for the spot next to Derek Forbort on the bottom pairing or impress the brass enough to force a veteran out of the top four. That’s obviously the best-case scenario, but it’s also not a bad thing for him to start in the AHL, either. Instead of averaging 10-15 minutes a night, he could potentially hit 20-25 in Abbotsford for Malhotra and play in all situations. Unless he looks miles ahead of everyone in training camp, I think it would be better for him to go to the minors and play there for a while before coming up. Whatever the case, he should be a key part of this Canucks defence very soon – unless Allvin decides to trade him in a package for a second-line centre, that is. Just Missed… Nikita Tolopilo – Goaltender Vilmer Alriksson – Left Wing/Centre Wilson Bjorck – Left Wing/Centre Anthony Romani – Right Wing Aku Koskenvuo – Goaltender The Canucks still have a strong prospect pool, but they will have to start replenishing the top half soon. Lekkerimaki is only one game away from graduating this list, and Willander could follow him if he makes the roster and becomes a full-time NHLer right off the bat. Cootes probably won’t be too far behind, either, which could leave Medvedev as the top prospect in just a couple of years. We’ll see what happens this season, but by this time next year, we could have a whole new top five. As always, it should be exciting to follow the entire Canucks pipeline this season as the Prospects Reports will begin in only a few weeks. After such a long and boring offseason, I am itching to get those going. Let’s get the 2025-26 season started already!
Five best NFL offseason value signings on offense: Bills get great deal with RB extension
Few know how to spend money like an NFL front office. This offseason, teams handed out over $4 billion in extensions alone, not to mention the several other billions spent in free agency. But which were the shrewdest investments? Below, we examine the best value signings at five positions on offense: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and offensive line. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith Contract: Two years, $75 million ($65.5M guaranteed) Shortly after acquiring Smith in a trade from the Seattle Seahawks, the Raiders extended the 2022 Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year to a contract that raises the Raiders' floor while maintaining flexibility. Smith has a manageable $26.5M cap hit in 2026, when Over The Cap projects Las Vegas to have the third-most cap space ($78.7M) based on an estimated 5.8 percent cap increase. Since 2022, Smith has the third-highest completion percentage (68.5 percent) among 32 quarterbacks with at least 20 starts during that span. He's also tied with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the second-most fourth-quarter comebacks (10) and trails only Mahomes in game-winning drives. Buffalo Bills running back James Cook Contract: Four years, $48M ($30M guaranteed) Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams pierced Cook's bubble when he signed a three-year, $33M extension on Aug. 5. The Bills running back sought $15M per year, making his $12M in annual average value (AAV) a huge win for Buffalo. Over Cook's first three seasons, he's averaged 4.9 yards per carry. In 2024, he led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns. With just 533 career tackles, Cook doesn't have the wear-and-tear of other backs who've made splashes early in their careers, raising hopes that he can withstand the workload that comes with being Buffalo's featured back. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins Contract: Four years, $115M ($40.9M guaranteed) The Bengals retained Higgins at a remarkable price, keeping him in Cincinnati at less than $30M per year, the going rate for the league's top wideouts. Per Spotrac, while Higgins is No. 10 in AAV among wide receivers, he ranks just outside the top 20 in guaranteed money. Last season, Higgins averaged 75.9 receiving yards per game, his most since 2021, and scored a career-high 10 touchdowns despite missing five games due to injury. Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride Contract: Four years, $76M ($43M guaranteed) The 2024 first-team All-Pro ranks No. 1 among tight ends in guaranteed salary. However, if he continues producing numbers more akin to WR1s — last season, he had 111 receptions, 1,146 receiving yards and two touchdowns — his contract will be one of the league's better bargains. Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley Contract: Three years, $60M ($44M guaranteed) Stanley's journey back from a devastating 2020 lower leg injury culminated in the 2019 first-team All-Pro being named a Pro Bowler for the second time in his first nine seasons last year. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft was rewarded with a contract that will keep him in Baltimore through his age-33 season. In terms of average annual value, his extension ranks below other left tackles who signed contracts this offseason, and not just younger players such as Rashawn Slater (Los Angeles Chargers), who was recently lost for the season, and Bernhard Raimann (Indianapolis Colts). Atlanta Falcons tackle Jake Matthews, 33, is averaging $22.5M on his current deal, while Las Vegas Raiders tackle Kolton Miller, 29, is set to earn $22M per year through 2028.
Troubling news emerges on Bears QB Caleb Williams’ workout with HC Ben Johnson
It might have been a good thing the Chicago Bears didn’t play Caleb Williams on Sunday. The Bears might need to hide their second-year quarterback as he irons out his wrinkles in the pre-snap process and with accuracy issues. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft struggled with timing and accuracy during the Bears’ joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Friday. Caleb Williams was inaccurate in the red zone against no defenders On Sunday, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson chose not to play second-year quarterback Caleb Williams against the Dolphins in their first preseason game. Instead, Johnson led a workout with Williams and wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore before the game. Per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears ran a total of 87 plays during the workout. All of the plays were routes in the air with no defenders on the field for the scripted practice. Despite going against no defenders bringing pressure or guarding his receivers, Williams struggled to hit his targets in the red zone. "Williams would stand next to Johnson, who would give him the play," Biggs wrote. "Then, the quarterback simulated a huddle with the player (only one ran a route on each snap) and gave the play call. They’d break the huddle, go to the line of scrimmage, Williams would simulate pre-snap actions and then the play would be run… "Before ending the session with eight deep balls, there was a 25-play set of snaps in the red zone. One thing Williams struggled to connect on was out routes to Moore and Odunze near the goal line. Those throws were not close and Williams consistently led the receivers too much." A closed-door problem for the Chicago Bears The throws weren’t close during routes on air… in the red zone? Williams wasn’t ready to take the field for the preseason game. For all of the flak he’s been getting from practice reports, the quarterback would have been relentlessly mocked for having these issues shown during an NFL Network broadcast. Biggs’ report is troubling, with a month to go before the season. Williams has much to improve upon, and the Bears are very much trying to do so without cameras present for a reason.
Portland Trail Blazers to be sold to Hurricanes owner and pickleball enthusiast
A group led by billionaire Tom Dundon, the owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, has reached a tentative agreement to buy the Trail Blazers from Paul Allen‘s estate, sources tell Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico. Blue Owl Capital co-president Marc Zahr and co-CEO of Collective Global Sheel Tyle are among the other investors who are part of Dundon’s group, according to Soshnick and Novy-Williams, who say the buyers intend to keep the team in Portland. The Blazers will be valued at more than $4 billion in the sale, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. The Trail Blazers announced their plans to sell the franchise back in May. Allen, the longtime Blazers owner who purchased the franchise for $70M in 1988, died on Oct. 15, 2018, resulting in control of the team being transferred to his sister Jody Allen, the trustee and executor of his estate. The plan following Paul Allen’s death was for ownership of the Blazers to eventually change hands as part of an estate sale, which is the process that’s playing out now. The investment bank Allen Co. (no relation) and the law firm Hogan Lovells were selected to lead the sale of the team. As Soshnick and Novy-Williams note, while the valuation of the Blazers in this tentative deal isn’t yet known, a trust generally has a fiduciary duty in an estate sale to maximize the value of its assets and to sell to the highest qualified bidder. When Sportico last updated its NBA franchise valuations in December 2024, the site estimated the Blazers’ worth to be $3.6 billion. New owners have agreed to buy the Celtics ($6.1 billion valuation) and Lakers ($10 billion valuation) since then. All estate proceeds as a result of the Blazers sale will be directed toward philanthropy, per the late Allen’s wishes. In addition to owning the NHL’s Hurricanes, Dundon has invested heavily in pickleball — he’s the majority owner of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball. Dundon, who is also the chairman and managing partner of the Dallas-based investment firm Dundon Capital Partners, will serve as the Blazers’ new governor if and when the sale is officially approved by the NBA, per Sportico’s report.
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