The news was confirmed by the team’s head coach Peter Laviolette, who said that Ovechkin, center Evgeny Kuznetsov, goalie Ilya Samsonov, and defenseman Dmitry Orlov were placed on the league’s unavailable list as part of the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.

Reportedly, Samsonov recently tested positive for COVID-19, and this led to a contact-tracing investigation. It turned out that Samsonov, Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, and Orlovand hung out in a hotel room together without wearing masks or respecting the social distancing rules.

The Capitals were sanctioned $100,000 as a result, and all four players won’t be able to make it to the ice for at least one week. The earliest they could return is at a home game against the Boston Bruins on January 31st.

“We totally understand why the rules are in place, and there’s no arguing with that,” Laviolette told reporters on Thursday. “We knew the rules. We’re not sitting here saying that we were uninformed or we weren’t aware. We need to do a better job.”

After opening the 2020-21 NHL season with two wins, the Capitals now find themselves on a two-game losing streak. Both of those losses came in overtime.

The post Capitals Lose Alex Ovechkin and 3 Other Players to COVID-19 Protocols appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

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.

The post Alex Ovechkin and Washington Capitals to Discuss Extension After Playoffs appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The news was confirmed by the team’s head coach Peter Laviolette, who said that Ovechkin, center Evgeny Kuznetsov, goalie Ilya Samsonov, and defenseman Dmitry Orlov were placed on the league’s unavailable list as part of the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.

Reportedly, Samsonov recently tested positive for COVID-19, and this led to a contact-tracing investigation. It turned out that Samsonov, Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, and Orlovand hung out in a hotel room together without wearing masks or respecting the social distancing rules.

The Capitals were sanctioned $100,000 as a result, and all four players won’t be able to make it to the ice for at least one week. The earliest they could return is at a home game against the Boston Bruins on January 31st.

“We totally understand why the rules are in place, and there’s no arguing with that,” Laviolette told reporters on Thursday. “We knew the rules. We’re not sitting here saying that we were uninformed or we weren’t aware. We need to do a better job.”

After opening the 2020-21 NHL season with two wins, the Capitals now find themselves on a two-game losing streak. Both of those losses came in overtime.

The post Capitals Lose Alex Ovechkin and 3 Other Players to COVID-19 Protocols appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

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.

The post Alex Ovechkin and Washington Capitals to Discuss Extension After Playoffs appeared first on yoursportspot.com.