No. 1: Alexander Ovechkin
Ovechkin is the captain of the Washington Capitals, has won a Stanley Cup there and is beloved by the city, but they don’t have a lot of salary-cap space.
Instead of running it back and trying to win in Washington again, imagine playing on a line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, or with William Nylander and John Tavares? Either of those lines would be unstoppable and Ovechkin would the missing link for Toronto.
Not only can Ovechkin score 50 goals in his sleep, but he’s a proven leader, winner and a wrecking ball. Ovechkin doesn’t get enough praise for his ability to run around the ice like an energizer bunny and hit anyone in sight. He’s the perfect playoff-performer too, who has 135 points in 141 career playoff games.
In a dream scenario, there would be nothing better than watching Ovechkin play in Toronto, but the likelihood of this ever happening seems too good to be true.
Even if Toronto offered more money and gave him a better chance to win, the fact that he’s already won a ring makes it more likely that he’ll stay in Washington and retire as a Capital.