Alex Ovechkin’s 13-year, $124 million contract expires at the end of this season. The Washington Capitals captain has yet to agree on a new deal with the only NHL team he has ever played for. While some may be concerned about no deal being already in place, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is not one of them.
“I’m not concerned. He’s not concerned. Our concern is the Boston Bruins,” Leonsis said, per Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. “Alex has been around a long, long time and has a lot of trust and confidence in us & knows the most important thing right now is to focus on the playoffs.”
The Capitals are on the eve of embarking on a first-round best-of-seven playoff series with the Boston Bruins. Game 1 will be Saturday night in Washington. Leonsis says the focus of everyone right now is getting through the first round for the first time since the Capitals claimed the Stanley Cup in 2018.
Leonsis’ message is consistent with what Capitals general manager said in March, which was Ovechkin’s new contract “at some point we’ll get it done.” However, Ovechkin said in April, “we’ll see” as the team tabled contract talks.
Ovechkin is 35 years of age and in Year 16 has been hobbled, missing seven of the Capitals’ last nine games with a lower-body injury. This season, albeit in a condensed 56-game schedule, Ovechkin failed to score 30 goals for the first time in his storied career.
How much fuel does Ovechkin have left in the tank remains to be seen. Yet, Leonsis supports Ovechkin being in a Capitals uniform for however long the three-time MVP wants.
“Alex knows that if he plays five more years, 10 more years, whatever it is, we’ve got his back,” Leonsis said, per Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic. “Our commitment to him is to continue to have great teams. We’ll spend to the cap, we’ll try to win championships. And that’s what he’s focused on because that will be his legacy.”
