00:00This week we spent some time speculating about Alex Ovechkin
00:04and whether he played his last game with the Washington Capitals in Columbus.
00:10Yesterday we were kicking it around.
00:12Would the team want him back?
00:13Does he want to come back?
00:15Does his family want him to go to Russia?
00:17Well, yesterday, Ovi spoke to the media.
00:21Here's what he said.
00:22I think, to be honest with you,
00:26I feel like I'm pretty sure it's not my last game.
00:32I hope it's not my last game against Columbus.
00:35And, like, how I said, I have to make a decision to see where we are, you know,
00:45the team, family.
00:46Like, obviously, family is going to support me, like my wife and kids.
00:52Kids already asked me, like, dad, are you still there?
00:57And so...
00:58You tell them like everybody else.
01:00I don't know, we'll see.
01:03Yeah, they're excited.
01:05They want me to come back because they love the city,
01:09they love the team, they love the boys.
01:11And, yeah.
01:15Let me tell you something.
01:16So I saw this a couple hours late.
01:18Shocker, I was out hitting golf balls.
01:19I was doing some other things.
01:20And then when I checked in to see what was going on in the world,
01:22I saw that, started seeing the retweets and everything,
01:25and I went, whoa, this is a bombshell.
01:28This is...
01:29And, first of all, how likable is Ovi?
01:31Ovi's just fantastic.
01:33That's about as good as I've ever seen him with the media.
01:35He's very comfortable.
01:36He's not playing this out for drama, right?
01:38He's not about games.
01:40So some people accuse Aaron Rodgers of that.
01:42I don't know if I believe it or not,
01:43but certainly it seems like that from afar sometimes,
01:45that Aaron Rodgers is playing games with you,
01:47whether or not he wants to come back.
01:48You know, he might have done that a little bit towards the end of the season,
01:50but here we go, clearing out locker day.
01:52He's not going to drag this out.
01:53Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's not my last game.
01:55I want to play.
01:56My kids want me to play.
01:57They love the boys.
01:58I love the...
01:58Like, I want to play.
01:59And I just thought that was a bombshell.
02:02Now, obviously, the inference is, does the team have the same feeling?
02:07You get the sense without him saying it,
02:09that he's not necessarily sold on that the team wants it back yet.
02:13They haven't really discussed it, or maybe he's getting vibes they don't.
02:16Who knows?
02:17But that was an absolute bombshell when that came out.
02:21I feel like he's already made his decision.
02:23I think what he said yesterday makes it crystal clear
02:26that he is planning on playing next season.
02:30They have the other clip when I asked him, what's it, Valdez,
02:33do you have the other clip?
02:35Matt, Valdez, do you have the other clip where they asked him
02:37what would be the perfect scenario?
02:39And he talks...
02:40No?
02:40Okay.
02:41Don't worry.
02:42At the end, they say, what's the perfect scenario?
02:44He goes, a two-year contract.
02:46Right.
02:46They give me a two-year contract.
02:47I told you, a two-year contract would be something that he'd want.
02:50So, I mean, it couldn't be obvious.
02:53It's 100% Alex Ovechkin wants to play,
02:56and my assumption is, and I think he alluded to it at some point in there,
03:00is that he wants to play for the Capitals.
03:02I mean, I would think that would be the case.
03:04But, I will say this, as I'm pondering all this yesterday,
03:06I'm going, this is a bombshell.
03:08He's not even leaving anything out.
03:10He's kind of...
03:11It was almost a chess move by Ove.
03:13Pressure's on the Caps now.
03:14He's putting the ball on their court.
03:15So, pressure's on the Caps.
03:16He's saying to them, I want to play.
03:18I want to come back.
03:19Now we need to sit down and figure out what it's going to look like.
03:23Yeah, if it can happen.
03:25And you're getting the sense that it's not 100%,
03:28like, you're not necessarily feeling the warm and fuzzies
03:31that they definitely want him back.
03:32That was the impression I got.
03:34I think there have been a lot of assumptions made,
03:36and maybe they were reasonable assumptions along the way.
03:40The whole KHL thing,
03:43I never heard him say he was in a rush to play in the KHL.
03:46Maybe ultimately he will.
03:47No, I'll bet you he will.
03:49He mentioned there, my family wants me to come back.
03:54That's what he said.
03:55The kids, yeah.
03:55Family wants them to come back.
03:56Yeah.
03:57Do you know how hard it probably is,
03:58even if you speak Russian in the house,
04:00that your kids have been going to school here?
04:03Yeah.
04:04To make a move across an ocean,
04:07even if it's your homeland,
04:09and maybe that's where you're going to end up
04:11when your kids are in the midst of school
04:13and everything they've got, friends growing up.
04:15It's an interesting point.
04:16That is a massive move.
04:18It's an interesting point,
04:18but I'll bet you that as soon as he's done,
04:21he moves to Russia.
04:22It's probably most likely.
04:23I wouldn't doubt it.
04:24Yeah.
04:26But I think it's really sometimes hard to make that move,
04:30and he's still having fun.
04:32No doubt.
04:32And the family seems to support him.
04:34He wants to play.
04:36That's why, look,
04:37I was bringing up multi-year contract.
04:40Yeah.
04:40And when you look at all those players in the NHL
04:44that have played into their 40s,
04:45some of them have played until 45.
04:47And it's not like he's just hanging around,
04:50having fun,
04:50and a team mascot.
04:52He's still leading the team in goals.
04:53He's still productive.
04:55I understand he's not the same player that he once was,
04:58but he's still a valuable asset.
05:00Somebody who scores 30-plus goals in the NHL,
05:03even if they're a reduced version of themselves,
05:06which he is at this point,
05:07and he would admit that,
05:08that's still something that holds value
05:11to the Washington Capitals.
05:12But the way he presented that,
05:15first of all, again,
05:15I just respect him so much.
05:16He's not playing games.
05:17He's like, at the end of the day,
05:18he just said,
05:19I'll be honest with you.
05:20I hope it's not my last game.
05:22I respected that so much.
05:24He could have been just completely down the middle
05:26and said, look,
05:26I'm going to take some time with the family,
05:28go back home,
05:29I'll have a decision in a month.
05:30Even if he knew,
05:31even if he knows,
05:32I want to play,
05:33but he's not necessarily feeling the love yet
05:35from everyone that he needs to.
05:38So, yeah,
05:39he could have played it close to the vest
05:40to protect himself,
05:41but maybe he's just,
05:43it's like 3D chess
05:44and he's putting the pressure on him.
05:45He's obviously putting the pressure on him.
05:46I will say that hearing him say
05:49he wants a,
05:49you know,
05:50in a perfect world,
05:50a two-year contract,
05:51now that may just be
05:52so that he can bail after one.
05:54He's just giving flexibility.
05:55Yeah,
05:55I don't even know if it's a pressure tactic
05:57because if I'm calling the shots
05:59for the Washington Capitals
06:00and Alex Ovechkin tells me
06:03he wants to play,
06:04I'm sorry,
06:05that's the greatest player
06:06that's ever played for your franchise
06:07and that will ever play for your franchise.
06:09I'm making room on him
06:11for my roster.
06:13So am I.
06:13For at least a year.
06:15If he wants to do two years,
06:16maybe we'd make it
06:17like a mutual option type of thing,
06:18but I'm bringing that guy back.
06:21He is coming back
06:23if he shows that he wants to come back.
06:25We're 100% on the same page,
06:26but like the Patriots move on
06:27from Tom Brady,
06:28the greatest quarterback
06:28to ever live.
06:29So not all organizations think that way.
06:32I will push back, though,
06:34on people that think,
06:35yeah, we got to move on.
06:36It's time to pull off the Band-Aid.
06:38You know,
06:38we didn't make the playoffs this year.
06:40They didn't make the playoffs
06:41because of shootouts.
06:42They didn't make,
06:43they did not make the playoffs
06:44because Alexander Ovechkin
06:46is older.
06:47Right.
06:47In fact,
06:48the only reason why
06:48they're in the hunt
06:49for the playoffs
06:49is partly because
06:50he led them in points.
06:52Right?
06:52So I pushed back completely on
06:55we got to move on.
06:56We didn't make the playoffs
06:57with old-ass Ovechkin.
06:59We just got to move on.
07:00And you know what?
07:00There's going to be plenty of time
07:01for the young guys
07:02like Sordiff and Leonard
07:04and both Protuses
07:06to get more playing time
07:08when Alex's time
07:09is completely done.
07:11He's not completely done.
07:12He told you that yesterday.
07:14We'll get into this later,
07:15but what if he wants
07:16a lot of money
07:17and he insists on the two years?
07:19You might have to carry a guy
07:20that smashes into a wall.
07:22I don't think he's a guy
07:24who's pushed for the most money.
07:25He made $9.5 million
07:26this past season.
07:28I don't see him coming in
07:29and asking for $15.
07:30My understanding is
07:31he's going to break
07:32the salary cap.
07:33He's made kind of
07:34about the same amount of money
07:35for the last few years.
07:36I don't think he's going to ask
07:37for a market increase.
07:38My guess is he'd probably
07:39be willing to play
07:40for about the same.
07:41He's running it back, baby!
07:43He wants to run it back 100%.
07:44We're going to get back into it.
07:45I do believe, Cakes,
07:46that there are some people,
07:47this is, I have no knowledge.
07:49It's just reading the tea leaves
07:51and just being a human.
07:53He's not necessarily feeling
07:55invited back 100%.
07:56That may be the case,
07:57but I know the most important voice
08:00in that room, Ted Leonsis.
08:01If Alex makes it known
08:03that he wants to be back,
08:04Ted Leonsis is going to have him back.
08:06Ted has said as much.
08:07100%.
08:07We'll get back into it at 8 o'clock.
08:09Should it be a situation
08:11where Ovi makes the call
08:13to come back?
08:13Are you willing to sacrifice
08:15another year without
08:16the playoffs?
08:17I don't like that.
08:19I don't like that statement.
08:20Okay, but it's something
08:21that you have to consider.
08:23It makes it sound like
08:23it's a lock that if he comes back
08:24that there's no chance
08:26for the playoffs.
08:27And you're making it sound like
08:28they didn't get to the playoffs
08:29because they had old Ovechkin.
08:31That's not the case.
08:33It's something you have to consider
08:34if he becomes even more diminished.
08:37You know what?
08:38Alex Ovechkin,
08:39roll out the red carpet, baby!
08:41He wants to come back,
08:42he's coming back.
08:42Coming up next,
08:44Chief Kevin Davis
08:45on the murder-suicide
08:48with Justin Fairfax.
08:49That's here on The Junkies.
08:51We'll see you next time.
08:51We'll see you next time.
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