Alex Ovechkin - UFA this summer - 11M$ AAV for 3 years. Do you sign him, yes or no?

[bobholly39]

Similar to the Crosby poll. Of course in this case, it's not just a hypothetical, since Ovechkin actually is a UFA. 3 years vs 4 for Crosby with Ovechkin being 1 year older.

Here's the premise - Ovechkin is talking with your favorite team (this includes Washington fans) and the ask is simple - he wants 11M$ AAV for the next 3 years. Do you sign him, yes or no?

Clearly most teams don't have 11M$ free in cap space today - so if you vote yes, the implication is that you would free up 11M$ for him this summer (even if it means having to make bad trades to free up room).

One extra perk with Ovechkin - in addition to his actual on ice ability/performance - is that he's gunning for Gretzky's record. Now to hit that in only 3 years he'd have to average ~50-55 goal a year, which seems like much - but there's still the fun of him chasing it down on your favorite team, and maybe re-signing afterwards to break it.

Let us know what team you're voting yes/no for if possible.

Click to read more...

 

[SotasicA]

No, that's stupid money.

 

[ottawa]

Gretzky record is out of reach imo...he's faced way too many setbacks out of his control

That being said, 11m for a 36-38 year old Ovechkin is slightly too rich for me.

 

[AvroArrow]

I love OV, buy he's not an 11M guy right now.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Same as the Crosby thread, yes. Ovechkin puts butts in seats and jersey’s on backs. Teams would make a ton of money off of Ovechkin.

 

[Mez]

He should sign a cheap deal with the Oilers like Barrie, you know...to up his worth and stuff.

 

[Krewe]

Same as the Crosby thread, yes. Ovechkin puts butts in seats and jersey’s on backs. Teams would make a ton of money off of Ovechkin.

That is an owners perspective not a fan perspective.

As a fan, overpaying a player for marketing reasons is dumb. Ovi is not even a 10M player now let alone 11

 

[Canovin]

If he wears a Leafs jammies to sleep. He might get the Tavares special

 

[Connor McConnor]

He's made a ton of money in his career, If he truly cares about winning another Cup (while chasing Gretz record) he should be willing to take $7-8M a year.

 

[Sundinisagod]

Pass for the Leafs.

We would likely have to trade Marner for futures and take a L on that trade.

 

[Fataldogg]

That is an owners perspective not a fan perspective.

As a fan, overpaying a player for marketing reasons is dumb. Ovi is not even a 10M player now let alone 11

Isn't the question from an owners perspective? There are much worse ways to spend $11 million than on an aging Ovechkin. Most GM's allocate $11M in funds to combinations of players not worth their contract [I.E. as a Ranger fan, I would find a way to dump Trouba's and Strome's salary to accommodate Ovechkin at $11M for 3 years].

From a business point of view, it 100% would make sense to sign Ovechkin and Crosby for another three years, regardless of a $11M salary. They are the two most bankable names in the sport. Owners want money, these guys will bring it in.

I'd also argue Ovechkin is worth $10M now based on players earning over $10M. If a perennial 50 goal scorer came on the UFA market in the last couple of years I'd guarantee you they make $10M+. A perennial 50 goal scorer isn't signing for $6-7M, they're signing for $10-11M.

 

[kooner91]

Same as the Crosby thread, yes. Every team could use more goals and no one does that better than Ovi.

 

[The Moose is Loose]

Not a chance I spend 11 million on Ovi. We all love the guy but its extremely ignorant to pretend that he's not declining at this point. You could sign one of Hall/Landy/RNH for a little over half the price and probably get similar production to what Ovi will be putting up these next 3 years

 

[Fataldogg]

Not a chance I spend 11 million on Ovi. We all love the guy but its extremely ignorant to pretend that he's not declining at this point. You could sign one of Hall/Landy/RNH for a little over half the price and probably get similar production to what Ovi will be putting up these next 3 years

If any of those players come remotely close to 40+ goals over the next three seasons, I would be absolutely shocked. Landeskog can't do it playing with MacKinnon. RNH can't do it playing with McDavid. Hall can't do it with anyone in Buffalo.

Ovechkin at 35 is a better goal scorer than any of those three ever were. He is scoring at a 43 goal pace in a "down" year in the toughest division of hockey.

Ovechkin, just from a production stand point, is worth a lot more than people are giving him credit for, even as a 35-year old.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Not that it changes much, but for the record Ovechkin is 2 years older than Crosby, not 1.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Washington will pay him whatever he wants pretty much.

He might not be worth that to most other franchises. But it makes sense for the Caps. The team is built around him and they've had a ton of success with that model.

He's aged well and his game isn't particularly dependent on speed. It's all about his shot - which is probably the greatest in history - and that doesn't appear to be going away.

 

[The Moose is Loose]

If any of those players come remotely close to 40+ goals over the next three seasons, I would be absolutely shocked. Landeskog can't do it playing with MacKinnon. RNH can't do it playing with McDavid. Hall can't do it with anyone in Buffalo.

Ovechkin at 35 is a better goal scorer than any of those three ever were. He is scoring at a 43 goal pace in a "down" year in the toughest division of hockey.

Ovechkin, just from a production stand point, is worth a lot more than people are giving him credit for, even as a 35-year old.

I didn't say goals, I said production aka points

 

[Adamantoise]

Works for the Caps, but no way. He requires a very specific surrounding talent and system to maximise his value, and I just wouldn't see the fit for that price. Too one dimensional and liable defensively

 

[Fataldogg]

I didn't say goals, I said production aka points

My point is, you're signing Ovechkin to a contract like that to score the team goals, and none of those guys listed would be able to do it better.

Also, I'd be curious to see if any of those guys have had more primary points than Ovechkin in the last few years, or were they bolstered by secondary assists? [do any of them even have more total points than Ovechkin over the last three years?] They also play with higher level talent. McDavid and MacKinnon are widely considered 1 and 2 in the NHL.

My opinion goal > primary assist >>>>> secondary assists.

If I signed Ovechkin, I would be fine getting 45-goals and 70+ points.

 

[txpd]

I didn't say goals, I said production aka points

Do you value an assist the same as a goal? All points are not the same.
Backstrom has 9 50 assist seasons and Ovechkin 8 50 goal seasons. I dont know anyone that would equate the two

 

[The Moose is Loose]

Do you value an assist the same as a goal? All points are not the same.
Backstrom has 9 50 assist seasons and Ovechkin 8 50 goal seasons. I dont know anyone that would equate the two

My point is, you're signing Ovechkin to a contract like that to score the team goals, and none of those guys listed would be able to do it better.

Also, I'd be curious to see if any of those guys have had more primary points than Ovechkin in the last few years, or were they bolstered by secondary assists? [do any of them even have more total points than Ovechkin over the last three years?] They also play with higher level talent. McDavid and MacKinnon are widely considered 1 and 2 in the NHL.

My opinion goal > primary assist >>>>> secondary assists.

If I signed Ovechkin, I would be fine getting 45-goals and 70+ points.

Not exactly equivalent but they're pretty close

Would I rather have Ovi putting up 40 goal/25 assists seasons or Hall/RNH doing 30 goal/30 assists years? Well yeah obviously Ovechkin.

When its 11 million versus 6.5 million though, plus considering age, you'd be stupid not to pick the young wingers who are producing more per dollar.

And secondary assists are still valuable, they're definitely not way behind goals/primary assists, players who drive play and have the pucks on their stick a lot pickup secondary assists but that doesn't mean their contribution to the play was significantly less important

 

[kp61c]

Absolutely not. Old, slow and not very good defensively. Why would you want to cripple your team by giving Ovechkin such a deal. If you are not the Caps, i mean. They will be obliged to pander to Ovechkin's demands.

 

[txpd]

Pander.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

For the Rangers no, but for a team in their window right now that can afford that, very likely yes.

 

[kooner91]

Same as the Crosby thread, yes.

Ovechkin-Petey-Hoglander
Miller-Horvat-Boeser