That's a great point, and that's what a lot of people point to as the lack of player separation. If the CPU knew it had Ovechkin in particular then it would set up for him, which doesn't happen to the extent that it does in real life.
Cycling has been one of the best parts of this game, personally. This was the first year I've really felt that I could, and did, cycle the puck in a realistic fashion. Can't complain about much on that front.