Washington Capitals superstar forward Alex Ovechkin hit another milestone on Tuesday with his 700th career assist. He reached the mark on Tuesday night's game against the Vegas Golden Knights. He is the sixth player in NHL history to reach 700 goals and 700 assists in his career, according to the team.

The assist made Ovechkin the seventh active player to hit 700 helpers. He joins his former Capitals teammate Nicklas Backstrom and long-time rival Sidney Crosby, to name a few. The bigger chase for The Great Eight is his goal total, which was at 853 entering the season and Tuesday's game. Only Wayne Gretzky stands in the way of him holding the record.

Ovechkin entered the season needing 42 goals to break the record of 894 goals. The good news is that the Capitals' star has reached that total 13 times in his first 19 seasons. The bad news is that he did not come close to that total in 2023-24. He scored 31 on a late-season barrage that brought the number to a respectable level.

The Capitals added several pieces to help Ovechkin reach the total and the team make the playoffs. Jakob Chychryn was traded from the Senators to be an offensive defenseman. Pierre-Luc Dubois came in as Darcy Kuemper went out to improve their center depth.

The Capitals are still built around Alex Ovechkin

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) shoots the puck on Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) as Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (7) defends in the first period at Capital One Arena.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

While he is freshly 39 years old, the Capitals have still built their team around Alex Ovechkin, the greatest player in franchise history. It is not surprising, as he is one of the greatest goal-scorers ever, but a testament to his longevity. Their powerplay will still succeed because Ovechkin is the greatest powerplay scorer ever. And they will have a chance in important games because he can still snap it with the best of them.

The reign of the Capitals at the top of their division is firmly over, however. They have not won their division since 2019-20 and even missed the playoffs in 2022-23. That was no fault of Ovechkin's, who scored exactly 42 goals that season. Washington was able to sneak into the playoffs because of poor seasons from half of the Metropolitan Division. They cannot expect to make it with a similar season this year.

The Capitals had 91 points and a -37 goal differential but took the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The New Jersey Devils had an unexpectedly terrible season, only putting up 81 points. They are off to a 4-1 start this year and do not appear to be floundering this season.