Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin believes he will remain with the Caps, and is confident that he will be able to work out a new contract with the team ahead of unrestricted free agency, according to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.
Ovechkin, 35, inked a 13-year, $124 million contract that is set to expire. The contract marked the first nine-figure deal in NHL history. Ovechkin is once again negotiating a new contract himself, as his teammate Niklas Backstrom did last year.
“I’m confident; we still have time,” Ovechkin said. “Obviously, I want to finish my career here. I’m pretty sure we will do something soon.”
Everybody would be very surprised if Ovi wasn’t back,” Capitals center Lars Eller said. “You don’t take it for granted. You would just be surprised if he wasn’t back.”
Additionally, Ovechkin 134 goals shy of matching Wayne Gretzky’s record of 864 career goals.
“You still have chances, man,” Ovechkin said. “You just have to go out there and do your thing. Maybe it happens, maybe not. One step at a time.”
