One of the biggest stories at the tail end of the NHL regular season had to do with whether or not we were witnessing the end of Alexander Ovechkin’s legendary career.
Well, taking some time to think it over, it appears that the Great 8, the league’s all-time leading goal-scorer, is coming back for at least one more season.
The team announced on Thursday that Ovechkin had re-upped with the team on a one-year deal, with a wildly team-friendly $1 million in salary plus a $4.75 million games-played bonus (set at 10 games) and a $3.25 million signing bonus. According to Puckpedia, that equates to a $4,250,000 cap hit.
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Not bad for a player of Ovechkin’s caliber.
“I’m back!” said Ovechkin in a press release. “Thank you to everyone for giving me and my family the time to make this decision. I’m healthy. I love playing hockey and competing to win. I’m excited to come back and join my teammates so we can fight for a playoff spot and have a chance to win. See you in September, DC!”
We all kind of saw this coming, right?
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I mean, I think the moment Ovie waved off the Pittsburgh Penguins when they wanted to shake his hand after potentially his last game against them was a clue that he wasn’t ready to hang up his smoked visor and yellow laces.
Another clue is the numbers. They don’t lie.
Granted, no one but Ovechkin himself knows how his almost 41-year-old body is holding up, but he’s still producing at an impressive level.
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While last year was a down year compared to the year before, Ovechkin still appeared in all 82 games and potted 64 points, with 32 goals and 32 assists.
He can still play, which is wild when you consider how he plays. It’s not like he takes it easy or shies away from physicality.
One last detail about this deal is that it sees Ovechkin taking a 50% pay cut. That’s big, as it gives the Caps more wiggle room to make some of the moves they have this summer, including bringing in the likes of Boone Jenner and Alex Tuch.
