Getty Images As if there was ever any real chance he wouldn’t, Alex Ovechkin is returning to North America to play for the Capitals.
This unsurprising news comes via the Washington Post, which was told by Ovechkin’s IMG agent, David Abrutyn that his client would be back in town early this week to prepare for the NHL season.
Early in the lockout, Ovechkin had threatened to stay in the KHL with Dynamo Moscow if his NHL salary was negatively affected by the new CBA. And while it’s likely he’ll lose a decent amount to escrow under the new deal, the $300 million of “make whole” funds will help alleviate that loss, and there were no outright salary rollbacks.
Also, his “soul” is with the Caps, so that must count for something.
The question now is whether any other Russians with NHL contracts will attempt to stay in the KHL. We say “attempt” because the two leagues have an agreement to honor each other’s contracts. However, TSN’s Bob McKenzie is hearing certain KHL teams are offering “inducements” to players to convince them to stay.
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News and notes: How are Bruins’ stopping Chicago’s power play?
Jun 19, 2013, 12:20 PM EDT
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News and notes entering Wednesday’s Stanley Cup Final showdown — will Boston continue to stymie the power play?
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He spent all of last season with AHL Peoria.
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Meanwhile, the clock keeps ticking.
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Persistent Preds sign another: D-man Bartley, three years, $2 million
Jun 19, 2013, 11:35 AM EDT
GM David Poile might be the busiest man in hockey.
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Based on a couple of reports, the answer appears to be yes.
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Sens’ Murray has ‘talked to a number of teams’ about moving up at draft
Jun 19, 2013, 11:17 AM EDT
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“If you move up, there’s a chance to maybe get that better player.”
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The duo spent the last three seasons together in Vancouver.
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He’ll be in charge of working with defensemen.
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Chicago has once again found themselves behind the Bruins.
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Both were scheduled to become restricted free agents this summer.
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Ken Cruise showed off his work at Game 3.
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Boston has a 2-1 series lead.
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Looks like Seth Jones might not be the number one selection.
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Wednesday’s collection of links.
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It’s the first NHL game on NBCSN to surpass 4 million viewers.
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They beat the Syracuse Crunch in six games.
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“It’s going to be a strong, solid franchise just like Winnipeg is now.”
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Report: Flyers will buy out Briere, Bryzgalov another story (Updated)
Jun 18, 2013, 9:27 PM EDT
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Things are getting dramatic in Philadelphia.
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His annual cap hit is a hefty $7,727,273.
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Coburn might be heading the other way.
