When Alex Ovechkin embraced Josh Norman in a meeting of two of Washington’s biggest sports stars, the Redskins cornerback had a question for the Capitals’ Stanley Cup-winning captain.
”You still celebrating?” Norman asked.
”We’re done,” Ovechkin said. ”We’re done for right now.”
The Capitals seemed to celebrate as hard as any champion in NHL history. When they get on the ice for the first practices of training camp Friday, they will be just one of 31 teams chasing a title all over again.
”We have to forget already about that and focus,” center Evgeny Kuznetsov said. ”We have to move forward. When you taste that win, you want to do it over again. To do that, it’s not easy.”
A year after being written off as title contenders, the Capitals are now a focal point of the NHL as camps open. Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the rival Penguins will look to rebound from a second-round postseason exit, the Lightning are stacked even after general manager Steve Yzerman stepped down and the Maple Leafs look like Cup favorites after adding John Tavares.
The Western Conference-champion Golden Knights won’t have Nate Schmidt for any game in the preseason or the first 20 of the regular season after a performance-enhancing drug suspension , while the Blues loaded up on centers in a bid to move past recent playoff disappointments – like the Capitals did a year ago.
Some things to watch from training camps around the league:
ERIK GOES WEST
The NHL was busy Thursday with the Dallas Stars re-signing Tyler Seguin to a $78.8 million, eight-year extension, the Hurricanes naming Justin Williams captain and announcing Victor Rask is out indefinitely after slicing two fingers in a kitchen accident, and the Coyotes giving the ”C” to Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Oh, and the Sharks acquired star defenseman Erik Karlsson in a blockbuster trade with Ottawa.
”It still came as a shock and not something I prepared for or could’ve prepared myself for,” Karlsson said, adding that he hopes to be in San Jose for camp sooner than later after visa issues get worked out.
Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said they were ”looking for a difference-maker.” After missing out on Tavares, they got one in Karlsson and shifted the balance of power in the Western Conference.
TRYOUT TIME
At least 20 players will attend camps on professional tryout agreements, with defenseman Brandon Davidson in Chicago and winger Scottie Upshall in Edmonton among those most likely to earn a contract. The Oilers – who have the selling point of playing with Connor McDavid – also invited defenseman Jason Garrison and former Capitals forward Alex Chiasson to camp. Edmonton is the land of opportunity this month after missing the playoffs by 17 points last season. The young Bruins are bringing in veterans Daniel Winnik, Lee Stempniak and Mark Fayne on tryouts. Each one will have to wow the coaching staff to make it.
WHO’S NOT THERE
A handful of restricted free agents remain unsigned around the league, including Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore and Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. Nylander wasn’t listed on Toronto’s 73-player training camp roster released Wednesday. RFAs lack leverage and time, with the season coming up fast next month. Still, such situations are usually resolved before the opener and Nylander, Nurse, Theodore and the others should all sign before Oct. 3.
NEW COACHES
Washington’s Todd Reirden is one of six new coaches, but he has been on Barry Trotz’s staff the past four seasons and had a hand in winning the Cup. Rod Brind’Amour has plenty of familiarity with the Hurricanes after seven seasons as an assistant but an entirely different challenge as he looks to end a league-worst nine-year playoff drought. New faces in new places include Trotz taking his Cup ring to the Islanders, former Carolina coach Bill Peters in Calgary, Jim Montgomery in Dallas and David Quinn with the Rangers. Peters faces big expectations in trying to get the Flames back to contending status in the West.
ROOKIE WATCH
Buffalo No. 1 pick Rasmus Dahlin is the player to watch in the preseason to see if the smooth-skating Swedish defenseman can make the NHL look as effortless as previous endeavors. Dahlin will make the Sabres’ roster and could contribute immediately on a blue line that needs it. A handful of other top-10 picks have a chance to play on opening night, including Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov, Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk and Detroit’s Filip Zadina.
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Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno
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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/tag/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
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