Alex Ovechkin still has one year remaining on his contract with the Washington Capitals.
The Russian superstar could’ve signed an extension with the team earlier this summer, but wanted to focus on the playoffs instead.
Now, the Stanley Cup Champions of 2018 are done for the year, following the 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders in Game 5 last week.
Next season will be Ovi’s” last on his 13-year deal worth $124 million. He will then become an unrestricted free agent, and the question is if the Caps will manage to sign him for another, or several, seasons.
The Caps General Manager Brian MacLellan tells NHL.com that they’ve paused contract talks with Ovechkin for now.
“We’re going to talk when we come back to training camp, continue our conversations,” MacLellan said.
35-year-old Ovechkin tied David Pastrnak for the NHL lead with 48 goals this season. He had four goals in five games against the Islanders in the Eastern Conference First Round.
At the same time, the future of goaltender Braden Holtby is uncertain. He might have played his last game for the Caps after spending 10 years with the organization, winning the Stanley Cup in 2018.
MacLellan says the haven’t ruled out the chance of Holtby, a pending unrestricted free agent, returning next season.
“It’s still to be decided,” GM MacLellan said. “I think it’s going to be difficult, but sometimes opportunities come up that you don’t expect, and I think we’d like to play it out and see what happens.”
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