Twelve years and $87 million dollars into their relationship, Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals have hit a crossroads.
In nine of their 12 seasons together, Ovechkin and the Capitals have reached the playoffs without getting past the second round. In three of those seasons, including the last two, they finished with the best regular-season record in the NHL, only to suffer the embarrassment of a premature playoff exit.
Two weeks after completing his third season as Capitals general manager, one that ended with a Game 7 home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Brian MacLellan acknowledged for the first time that while he is not actively shopping the Capitals' all-time leading goal scorer, he would consider a "legitimate hockey deal" involving his 31-year-old captain.