Spencer Carbery on why he eventually gave Alex Ovechkin a defensive-zone start 73 games into the season: 'Because it became a story'

"“You know why? Because exactly what you're talking about, it became a story,” Carbery said. “Honestly, I could have started him plenty of times in the defensive zone. This is the way I look at it: in a game and in my job as the head coach, trying to set him up for success is about putting him in positions to be successful from a deployment standpoint.”"

"“So, yeah, he could have started a hundred draws in the defensive zone, but when I look at it, I would go, 'Okay, well, let's keep you off in this situation here, and now let's give you another O-zone start.'”"

"“He starts more in the offensive zone than anybody, and that's purposeful. That's because no one can shoot it in the back of the net when he's starting from a draw 25 feet from the net (like Ovechkin). That's how we deploy him, and that's how I have to sort of strategize and best utilize him at 40 years old, and what helps him be successful on a nightly basis.”"

"“Yeah, and it wasn't a big deal through, you know, 50 (games),” Carbery said. “I didn't hear one word about it. And then as it sta”"

Alex Ovechkin had not started a defensive-zone shift through the first 73 games of the 2025-26 season. In the 73rd game against the Utah Mammoth, coach Spencer Carbery gave him two defensive-zone starts, and Ovechkin finished the year with six total. Carbery said the change came because the lack of defensive-zone starts became a story, and he could have used Ovechkin more often. He emphasized deploying Ovechkin primarily in the offensive zone to create scoring chances, noting that opponents cannot score on him when he starts from a draw far from the net. Ovechkin also performed strongly against the Mammoth, scoring a hat trick in a 7-4 win.

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