Ovechkin confident he will sign extension with Capitals

ARLINGTON, VA. » Alex Ovechkin said Tuesday he is confident he will sign an extension and play again next season for the Washington Capitals franchise he led to the Stanley Cup in 2018.

Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie also hope to be back.

After a third consecutive first-round exit following their 2018 Stanley Cup run and the Seattle expansion draft looming, there is no assurance all three will be teammates next season. Ovechkin is the surest bet because he controls negotiations along with owner Ted Leonsis and general manager Brian MacLellan; the longtime captain will likely be able to play for the Capitals as long as he wants.

“We still have time,” said Ovechkin, whose $124 million, 13-year contract expires this summer. “Obviously I want to finish my career here. I’m pretty sure we will do something soon.”

Asked when that will get done, Ovechkin joked, “Maybe we’ll sign contract right now” after going through exit interviews. He and the Capitals were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in five games, ending Ovechkin’s season prior to the third round of the playoffs for the 15th time in 16 NHL seasons.

Ovechkin played through a back problem against Boston and missed seven of eight games late in the season with a leg injury. He still had two goals and two assists and said he wouldn’t need surgery.

“I have back problem, (but) I was feeling good,” Ovechkin said. “I didn’t take any medicines. I don’t take any shots. I feel pretty confident, and it was not bothering me at all.”

The Russian winger is sixth on the NHL’s career goal list with 730, 164 behind of Wayne Gretzky’s record. Despite losing several games because of work stoppages and the pandemic, Ovechkin said there are still chances to chase that mark.

“You still have chances,” Ovechkin said. “You just have to go out there and do your thing and maybe it’s happen, maybe not, but one step at a time.”

Ovechkin

Ovechkin, who turns 36 in September, said he still loves the game and wants to keep playing as long as he can. It’s almost impossible to imagine him playing for another NHL team, though Ovechkin could moonlight a season or more back home in the Kontinental Hockey League at some point.

Teammates would be surprised if Ovechkin isn’t back.

“When you think of the Washington Capitals, you think of Alex Ovechkin,” Oshie said. “I think Ovi loves it here, I think Ovi wants to stay here forever, I think they want him here forever, so I’m hopeful that something will get done that’s fair for both sides.”

The salary cap remaining flat at $81.5 million and Washington wanting to remain a playoff contender will likely keep Ovechkin from getting a substantial raise. But the Capitals also won’t lowball the face of the franchise.

“We’ve won a Stanley Cup, we want to win more Stanley Cups, we’ve built D.C. into a hockey town,” Leonsis said May 14. “Alex is happy. Alex knows that if he plays five more years, 10 more years, whatever it is, we’ve got his back.”