This is what Alex Ovechkin’s next contract could look like

Geez, that’s a lot of money…

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
This is what Alex Ovechkin’s next contract could look like
Zuma Press

Washington Capitals captain and elite forward Alex Ovechkin is entering the last season of his hefty 13-year, $124 million contract and is just a year away from being an unrestricted free agent. The veteran forward has made the decision to represent him to negotiate a new deal, once again, and it seems like we have a better idea of what that contract might look like. 

Adam Gretz of NBC Sports has put together an article with a complete analysis on what the Ovi’s next deal could look like and has revealed what might be put on paper. And it still ain’t cheap! 

In a recent interview with Russian Television, Ovechkin dismissed the idea of hanging up the skates after this year, adding that he will end his NHL career in Washington and might keep playing in Russia where it all began. 

“It’s not a question of money,” said Ovechkin, via NHL.com. “It’s a matter of principle: I played for only two teams, Dynamo [Moscow] and Washington.”

For him, it may not be a question of money, but it is for everyone else and Gretz believes his new deal will look like this: 

“This is nothing more than a guess piecing together the random bits of information we know. But something along the lines of a five-year, $50 million contract ($10 million per year) seems like it should be doable. Even though we are currently looking at a flat salary cap for the foreseeable future, that sort of contract would not dramatically alter the team’s cap structure. It would also all but guarantee he finishes his career in Washington. The age is a concern, but it seems reasonable to think that even if he declines he should still remain a fierce goal scorer for most of that contract.”

$10 million per year for a player who will be turning 36 before that season begins seems like a lot - and that’s without term. Five years will get Ovechkin to play until he’s 41, but we don’t seem to worry about that factor when it comes to Ovi. 

That means Ovechkin has plenty of time to beat the Great One: he is eighth on the NHL all-time list with 706 goals, 188 behind Wayne Gretzky, who holds the record with 894. Ovechkin has scored at least 50 goals in a season eight times, one behind the NHL record held by Gretzky and Mike Bossy. He’s won the Richard Trophy a League-record nine times and was voted winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2018.

And with plenty of money in his pockets… 


Source: NBC Sports