- 2 days ago
The Athletic's Barry Svrluga joins to break down his recent story about Alex Ovechkin's future.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00On the Rude Guest Hotline, we find our friend Barry Sveluga of The Athletic,
00:05their senior columnist, who had a great story today on Alex Ovechkin
00:09and whether or not he's coming back and what kind of conversations
00:12are being had between him and the team.
00:14We can talk about that and both the Washington Nationals' fast start as well.
00:19Barry's been chronicling for The Athletic.
00:21Barry, it's good to catch up with you.
00:22It's good to see you writing again, by the way.
00:24A little hiatus there, a little respite.
00:27Yeah, but it feels good to be back in the game.
00:29And, like, around stuff that I know that I'm familiar with.
00:34And I've been wrestling with this Ove situation for the better part of three months.
00:37So, finally, happy to get something out there on it.
00:40It had to be crazy.
00:41Like, I always think about that.
00:43If I take a vacation or something, it's always nice to recharge the batteries,
00:47but it's weird to not have a place to then talk about things or whatever.
00:50I mean, to think about all the stuff you wanted to write while you were waiting
00:53to be able to do it had to be crazy.
00:55But because of that, you're shot out of a cannon here.
00:57You've had some great pieces over the last couple of weeks here in May.
01:00And let's just start with this Ove story that he might actually return for one more season
01:04and why he might not.
01:06But then also this idea that he is going to call his own shot
01:10and he's having discussions with the team.
01:12So who's asking the questions of who here?
01:15I guess is what I want to know.
01:16I think it's a two-way street, Grant.
01:19And I think that's kind of how it should be, probably.
01:24The thing that I found interesting in talking to people,
01:26and obviously in the piece I have on the record quotes from Ted Leonsis,
01:32who, you know, this is an ownership thing.
01:34Like, this guy, this player propped up an owner's team in this town
01:39and changed a sport in this town.
01:42And so Ted Leonsis is granting him the grace of, it's your decision.
01:49Like, we will bring you back and we will pay you if that's what you want to do.
01:53But, you know, we're not going to force you one way or the other.
01:57And therefore, the front office has kind of a dual plan for the offseason.
02:03If he comes back, we'll handle it this way.
02:05If he doesn't come back, we'll handle it this way.
02:08But I think the questions from the team to the player are,
02:14how does your body feel?
02:16Do you think you can replicate what you just did,
02:19which was playing 82 games as a 41-year-old, which he will be next year?
02:26And I think what I found interesting,
02:29both from Leonsis and other people I talked to in the organization,
02:35is that Ovi was really, really disappointed about missing the playoffs this year.
02:41They missed it by three points.
02:44And in some ways, forget the individual totals, you know,
02:48he led the team in goals and points and even strength goals
02:52and all that kind of stuff.
02:54That doesn't give him the soft landing on the way out
02:57that another playoff appearance and maybe win a series or win two series.
03:02That would be a much more satisfying end to him in his mind.
03:08So I thought that was really quite interesting.
03:12And then I heard what you guys were talking about economically,
03:16you know, before the break, before I got on.
03:20One thing, another thing I found interesting in just reporting around this is like,
03:24you know, he made $9.5 million this past year
03:27in the last year of his final extension.
03:30It sounds to me like that's not a number that he cares about.
03:36He doesn't need to match that money for one more year.
03:39The money is not the important part.
03:41So if they have north of $35 million in cap space,
03:46which it seems like is what they have,
03:48and they can bring Ovi back on a number that is,
03:52I'm just guessing here, $5, $6, $7 million, somewhere in there,
03:56then they still have the means to improve their roster by,
04:02you know, going for a big ticket free agent,
04:04if they can lure them here.
04:07Or, as you said, Grant, you know,
04:09trading for a big ticket contract like they did with Dubois
04:15and taking on that money from a team
04:18that feels like maybe they've made a mistake
04:20in signing such a long-term deal with a player.
04:23So I'm less worried about the flexibility for them.
04:27I was very concerned that if he came back,
04:30it's really limiting in terms of roster building
04:32for Brian McClellan and Chris Patrick.
04:35I'm less concerned about that now,
04:37having made a bunch of calls about this over the past couple weeks.
04:39Barry, if they're willing to make,
04:41or Ovi's at least willing to make some concessions
04:44in terms of not making as large amounts of money
04:46in terms of the contract and against the salary cap,
04:48do you think that there's some concessions
04:50he could make in terms of his usage?
04:52Obviously, we've seen the difference in usage
04:54now in his career versus what we've seen throughout his career.
04:57But do you think there are some other ways
04:59that maybe he can say,
05:00all right, I understand that I'm not the player I once was.
05:03I'm not the same guy anymore,
05:04but I'm still, you know,
05:05the team's going to show him the respect
05:07of giving him power plays and those sorts of things.
05:10But are there other ways that maybe they can say,
05:12all right, you know, this is kind of the last go-round for you.
05:15We're going to still try to make the playoffs
05:17so you can have that, you know,
05:18final time in the sun like you were talking about.
05:21And yeah, I think that's a really good point, Toby.
05:24Like there have to be,
05:26I think this is a good position for them to be in
05:28because they have to have frank conversations on both sides.
05:31Ovi asking, how are you going to build this roster
05:34and what would the team be like around me?
05:36And the team asking, Alex,
05:39would you be willing to not play two minutes on the power play?
05:43Could you play one minute on the power play?
05:45Could you be on the second power play?
05:46Could you be,
05:47this is not a team that's superstar heavy.
05:50So they're not going to have a line,
05:53you know, the top line is not going to be
05:54just so dominant with ice time.
05:56They're going to have to roll four lines.
05:58But I think the reality is that
06:00if Ovechkin is centered by Dylan Strom,
06:03like that's probably going to be
06:06in their best iteration,
06:08the third line,
06:09which means a little bit fewer,
06:11fewer minutes.
06:13He's, you know,
06:14one point I made in this piece
06:16that was kind of a point of discussion
06:18late in the year
06:19is that Spencer Carberry
06:22just did not feel comfortable all year
06:24using Ovi's line in the defensive zone
06:28when there was a faceoff there.
06:31That's quite limiting.
06:33There's a trickle down through the lineup
06:35if you can only take offensive draws
06:39with, you know,
06:40offensive zone draws
06:41with your star player, essentially.
06:44Like, how does that filter down
06:45through how he's rolling those four lines?
06:48Those conversations, I think,
06:49are very real and are happening.
06:52And I think Alex is realistic enough
06:56from what I've gathered
06:57that he knows he's not going to be playing,
06:59you know, 20 minutes a night.
07:01Like, I think his message has been
07:04to Carberry and to the front office,
07:07like, if I'm going well,
07:09like, use me.
07:10Use me, Ben.
07:11If I'm struggling,
07:13dial it back a little bit.
07:15Like, hopefully he has that sense
07:17of self-awareness that,
07:18you know, at 41,
07:20even if he just scored 32 goals,
07:21which was more than anybody else on the team,
07:23like, he's not the all-around player.
07:26His all-around game
07:27has always been criticized
07:29to some degree,
07:30but he doesn't have the ability
07:31to commit to an all-around game
07:33that he did, you know,
07:35when he was 25 or 26 or 27.
07:37Yeah, Barry, for me,
07:38it is really complicated
07:39because I owe so much
07:42of my love and passion
07:44and fandom and addiction
07:46to Capitals hockey,
07:47to him.
07:48And my kids got hooked on the sport.
07:50My son, every morning in the basement,
07:52wants to play hockey.
07:53He's pretending to be Ovi.
07:54Like, he is, in a way,
07:56that no other player
07:57that I can relate to in my market
07:59kind of turned this city
08:00into a fan of his sport.
08:03So, he should get to do
08:04what he wants to do.
08:06That is, I'm going to set that to the side.
08:08There is a second conversation to me,
08:10and it may not matter.
08:11I don't know if you agree with this or not,
08:12but I'd be curious to know
08:13what you think
08:13and maybe what the team might think.
08:15I think they are better off
08:17in the short term
08:19moving on without Alex Ovechkin.
08:21And, again,
08:21that may not matter that much,
08:23but they have done this
08:25unbelievably impressive thing
08:26where they have kind of
08:27rebuilt on the fly.
08:28It's been textbook.
08:29It's been the envy of teams
08:30all over the league,
08:32and they have more young talent coming.
08:34And I'm not saying
08:35he can't help them
08:35at the right price,
08:37scoring 25 goals or whatever.
08:39People will point out,
08:39as you said,
08:40you know, he led the team in scoring,
08:41but that's like, you know,
08:42saying somebody led the team in steals
08:44when he pinch runs every game
08:45and whatever else.
08:46I mean, he was in a lot of
08:47situations to score,
08:48but I digress.
08:49I guess my point is,
08:51does it matter at all?
08:52And is it true to say
08:54they're probably better off
08:56without committing big money
08:59and bringing him back?
09:02I think it's true.
09:03And I was really close
09:04over the last month
09:06to wanting to write
09:08a piece that said,
09:09it's time for Ovi to move on.
09:12And then you call around
09:14and you talk to people about that.
09:17And the weight of it
09:19is just enormous.
09:21Like you're telling
09:22the all-time goal scorer
09:24in the league
09:25that I know better than you do
09:28that you should move on.
09:30Like that,
09:30that,
09:31so in the end,
09:32like that didn't feel right to me.
09:35And I don't think it feels right
09:36to the Capitals.
09:37I do think
09:38that they are on this line
09:40where they certainly
09:42don't want to call him
09:44a burden
09:45because he's not a burden.
09:46Like he,
09:47it put the goals
09:48and stuff aside
09:49and the actual play,
09:50like he sets the tone
09:52for that franchise
09:53in a way
09:54that is undeniable.
09:57And,
09:57you know,
09:58the only other guy
09:59left from the cup winning team
10:00is Tom Wilson
10:01and he is a big force,
10:03but he,
10:03he is in the shadow
10:06of Alex Ovechkin
10:07as he should be
10:08because no one is,
10:10you know,
10:10this guy's 922 goals.
10:12Like this is a ridiculous,
10:13ridiculous character
10:14and you're right,
10:15Grant,
10:16about,
10:17I mean,
10:17I think
10:18he's the most important
10:20athlete
10:21in the history
10:22of Washington,
10:22D.C.
10:23because of how
10:24he affected
10:25the sport
10:27that he played
10:29in,
10:29in this town.
10:30He just changed
10:31the way everybody
10:32thought about it,
10:32the expectations
10:33around it,
10:34all of that stuff.
10:35There are a million
10:36Redskins
10:36that contributed
10:37to that,
10:38that run.
10:39You can go
10:39to Walter Johnson
10:40like,
10:41you know,
10:41it's a fun,
10:42fun debate,
10:43but I'd probably
10:44land on Ovechkin
10:45and that gets you
10:46to,
10:47it's,
10:47it's his call.
10:49I think where
10:50the caps have landed,
10:52while they might
10:53agree hockey wise
10:55with you,
10:56Grant,
10:56that like,
10:57you know what,
10:57it would kind of
10:58be better
10:59if he retired
11:00and just said,
11:00I'm going to go
11:01out on a high note.
11:02I led the team
11:03in goals.
11:04Like,
11:04I can still do it
11:05and people will wonder
11:06like,
11:06you know,
11:07but I've produced
11:08another season like that.
11:09Numbers wise,
11:10if I had gone on
11:11at age 41,
11:13I think they've
11:13kind of landed
11:14at like,
11:15you know what,
11:16we can add
11:17to this roster.
11:19We've gotten
11:20younger and faster
11:21because it's pretty
11:22clear that
11:23Ilya Protas
11:24will center
11:25a line
11:26and yeah,
11:27he'll have bumps
11:28as a 20 year old,
11:29but like,
11:29he'll be a good
11:30player next year.
11:31Cole Hudson
11:32as a defenseman
11:33will probably be
11:34a good player
11:36next year.
11:36Ryan Leonard,
11:38who,
11:38if he hadn't
11:39gotten hurt,
11:39had been
11:40ascended for sure
11:42this year
11:43and seems like
11:44a real,
11:44real piece.
11:45Like,
11:46there's enough
11:46there if you
11:47consider the
11:48veterans that they
11:49have under contract
11:50and Dubois
11:50and Chikrin
11:51and,
11:51you know,
11:52Logan Thompson
11:53and all that,
11:54that I think
11:55they think
11:55they can compete
11:56either way.
11:58It's not like
11:59they're viewing it
12:00as they need
12:01Alex Ovechkin
12:02to drag them
12:04back into the playoffs
12:05and they don't
12:06feel like
12:06Alex Ovechkin
12:07has to be a weight
12:08that prevents them
12:09from getting to the playoffs.
12:10Like,
12:10they can play a middle
12:11ground here
12:12that doesn't hurt
12:13anybody.
12:14Barry's Faluga
12:15of The Athletic
12:16and I should point out
12:17too,
12:18the way that they've
12:19treated their players,
12:20especially those
12:20that have won them
12:21a title
12:21and have been around
12:22for a long time,
12:23is part of what
12:24makes this organization
12:25so special
12:26and why people
12:27want to come here,
12:28to be honest.
12:29so it would be
12:30odd for them
12:31not to do that
12:31with Alex Ovechkin
12:32and it adds
12:33to the complications
12:35but it's a great piece.
12:36Check it out
12:36in The Athletic
12:37Drop today.
Comments