After signing a $47.5 million contract on Tuesday, Alex Ovechkin will remain with the Washington Capitals for another five years.
Or as he put it on Twitter: “I’M BACK DC !!!!!”
Ovechkin signed to the team in 2008 in the first $100 million deal in National Hockey League history. He will take a slight decrease in his salary to stay in the District.
The 35-year-old captain is the all-time leader in games, goals, and points for the Capitals.
“Alex is the face of our franchise and is committed to this organization and this city,” General Manager Brian MacLellan said in a statement. “Alex embodies what our franchise is all about.”
Ovechkin is an undeniably productive player. Even battling injuries and COVID-19 protocols, he led the Capitals with 24 goals in 45 regular season games, climbing two spots on the NHL’s all-time goals list. If he scores even once this upcoming season, he’ll tie Marcel Dionne for fifth all-time.
Over the course of this contract, Ovechkin will be chasing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals. He needs 33 goals per season for the next five seasons to overtake the record, a tall order but not impossible.
Beyond Ovechkin’s deal, MacLellan has made a case for player continuity: three of the team’s longest serving players — Ovechkin, center Nicklas Backstrom, and defenseman John Carlson — are all under contract through at least the 2024-25 season.
The Capitals open their six-game preseason Sept. 26 at home against the Boston Bruins, and they begin their regular season Oct. 13 playing the New York Rangers at the Capital One Arena.
