Washington Capitals’ captain Alex Ovechkin has been eligible for an extension since July 13th, but it appears two sides won’t rush into negotiations right away. According to the team’s general manager Brian MacLellan, Capitals and Ovechkin decided to postpone talks once the Stanley Cup playoffs wrap up.
Ovechkin, who led the franchise to its first Stanley Cup two years ago, has one year left on his contract. His last extension came in 2008 when he inked 13-year, $124 million deal that was the richest in NHL history at the time.
“We’re waiting until after the playoffs to see how everything pans out here,” said MacLellan in a chat with reporters on Friday. “I think it’s constantly been changing the whole year. I don’t think anybody could have predicted. We’re going to wait and assess where we’re at the end of the year and make decisions then.”
Despite the two sides waiting to negotiate, there is no doubt that Capitals want to keep Alex Ovechkin on their team for a foreseeable future. Ovechkin was team’s key player once again this season, contributing with league-leading 48 goals and adding 19 assists in 68 games. This helped propel Washington the first-place finish in the Metropolitan division.
Capitals and Ovechkin will resume the 2019/20 NHL season against Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. They are also scheduled to play Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins as part of the series of round-robin that will be used to determine seeding for Stanley Cup playoffs.
