While we know that Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin will eventually re-sign with Washington, that won’t happen for a while yet. NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan relays that GM Brian MacLellan has tabled extension talks until the start of training camp, whenever that may be. The 35-year-old will be entering the final season of his 13-year, $124MM contract and while his prime years may have passed, he still should be a dynamic goal scorer in the NHL for several years to come. Ovechkin plans to represent himself in discussions with MacLellan, similar to what teammate Nicklas Backstrom did in his contract talks last season, one that led to a five-year, $46MM deal.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters, including NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin, that both Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak are on track in their recoveries from mid-September surgeries. Marchand had sports hernia surgery that carried a four-month recovery timeline while Pastrnak was set to miss five months after hip and shoulder procedures. Depending on when next season starts, Marchand may not miss too much time but Pastrnak is set to miss a decent chunk of the year.
- While Rangers prospect Vitali Kravtsov is off to a good start in the KHL and can be recalled from his loan at any time, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the current plan is to keep the winger with Traktor Chelyabinsk for their entire season. The 20-year-old has eight goals in 18 games so far this season after managing just three points in 11 KHL contests a year ago. If he continues to do well, he’d be an interesting midseason addition in New York or a big upgrade for AHL Hartford.
- Senators top pick Tim Stuetzle is on schedule in his recovery from surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand, Mannheim GM Jan-Axel Alavaara told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 18-year-old was set to return to Mannheim of the DEL this season but that start was delayed by the pandemic before even considering his injury. As things stand, the hope is that Stuetzle will be available for the World Juniors although if NHL training camps are ongoing at that time, he may be needed in Ottawa.