Well, the Washington Capitals made their pitch and Alex Ovechkin decided he wasn’t done yet. The team announced Wednesday that Ovechkin has signed a one-year contract extension worth $4.25 million, bringing the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer back for at least another run at the Stanley Cup.
That $4.25 million average annual value is the smallest cap hit Ovechkin has taken since his entry-level deal expired after the 2007-08 season. For context, he’s been making north of $9 million annually for most of the last decade. The man took a pay cut to stay, basically.
The Offseason Shopping Spree Worked
Washington spent much of this summer loading up around their captain. They traded for Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou, two fast, skilled wingers who can actually put the puck in the net. Then they signed Boone Jenner, a grinder who’s going to make life miserable for opponents in the corners. Those moves were basically a message to Ovechkin: we’re serious about winning now, not just selling tickets to watch you pass Wayne Gretzky on the all-time list.
And the message landed. The Capitals confirmed the deal on X (formerly Twitter) with a post that read: “IT’S SO NOT O-VER, BABES‼️” Cheesy? Sure. But if you’ve been watching Ovechkin chase history for the last 20 years, you get it.
Ovechkin is 40 years old now. He’s still scoring at a ridiculous rate for a guy his age, but the legs aren’t what they used to be. The Capitals missed the playoffs entirely last season, which was a wake-up call for everyone in the organization. This isn’t a farewell tour. This is a team trying to squeeze one more legit shot out of the Ovechkin era.
What This Means for the Gr8 Chase
Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record last season. He’s sitting at 895 career goals and counting. Every game he plays from here on out is just adding to the margin. But for the Capitals, the real goal is getting back to the postseason and seeing if they can do some damage with this retooled roster.
The defense still needs work. The goaltending is a question mark. But the power play with Ovechkin in his office on the left circle, with Kyrou and Tuch feeding him pucks? That’s going to be a problem for the rest of the league.
One-year at $4.25 million. It’s a bet on one more spring. For Ovechkin and the Caps, that’s all they’re asking for.
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