Base Ovechkin Review

Line: Playing LW with LaFontaine at C and MOV Gaudreau at RW

Skating:

Rating on Card: 92

My Rating: 89

• Ovi isn't a speedburner, don't expect to blow by defensemen for easy breakaways with him. Honestly, his skating compares to that of a power forward like Wheeler. I find that he feels clunky when he's starting a stride, but he can get to a decent speed after a few seconds.

Shooting:

Rating on Card: 94

My Rating: 94

• Ovi has a cannon of a shot. If you're breaking into the zone and you take a slapshot top corner with Ovi, it's in the net 90% of the time. He has the deadliest shot out of anyone I've played with this year. I've put him on the point on the power play before, and he can hit one timers from the point as well.

Hands:

Rating on Card: 92

My Rating: 89

• If you're looking for a guy who can make effortless dekes around defensemen all game, Ovi isn't the guy you're looking for. It's hard to explain this, but he can pull off dekes well enough to successfully keep the puck after but not quick enough to fool defenders and get by them. He's deked around defenders before for me, but it has also happened where he does a deke and the defender is in the same position as he was before the deke. However, Ovi is a great passer. Since his speed isn't as good as LaFontaine's or Gaudreau's, I've had times where I need to breakout by passing with Ovi to a streaking forward. Most of the time, he hits the pass easily.

Checking:

Rating on Card: 91

My Rating: 92

• Ovi can hit like a truck. If the opponent is carrying the puck up with a guy like Gaudreau or Bure and Ovi is in range, the opponent's player is going down faster than cheap beer at a frat party. His hitting is comparable to a guy like Neely or Burns.

Defense:

Rating on Card: 85

My Rating: 87

• I was actually surprised by how well Ovi played defensively for me. I expected a lot worse, but he seemed to be in good position to block a shot or get in a passing lane. Don't play him on a defensive line and expect him to be the best defensive player, but you can also rely on him to hold his own in his own zone.

Price: Around 400k (last time I checked)

Is he worth his price? Yes (In my opinion).