Weekly reader: Alex Ovechkin wades into politics, plus why the Maple Leafs shouldn't panic -- yet

Hello, and welcome to the Weekly Reader, which will run every Friday and collect news and views from around the hockey world on the week's biggest stories. Seen something worth highlighting here? Hit me at greg.wyshynski@espn.com, or do the same if you have suggestions for the column going forward. Enjoy!

Ovechkin and Putin

Alex Ovechkin announced something called "Putin Team" this week on Instagram, and for a hot second everyone was excited that he was releasing some brand of Russian poutine. Alas, it was actually the most overt endorsement of Russian president Vladimir Putin that the Washington Capitals captain has made to date, establishing a "social movement" to "show everyone how strong…