Alex Ovechkin has not been shy in voicing his concerns about the NHL labor negotiations. He was officially announced as a member of the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow today after practicing with the team and passing his physical. When speaking about his new contract (in the $5.7 million range, tax-free), he also told a Russian news agency that if player salaries are cut dramatically when the next CBA is signed, he may just continue to play in his home country: “If our contracts get slashed, I will have to think whether to return there or not. I won’t rule out staying in the KHL, even past this season.”
Alex the Gr8 is just one of many players to sign a contract to play overseas during the lockout, but the fact that the NHL could be permanently losing a player of his caliber will probably cause the league and it’s owners to lose more money than they would if they were to just agree to the NHLPA’s terms. As much as I would hate to see this actually happen, I think Ovechkin is playing his cards right. The league needs to be worried about losing big time players due to their insatiable greed.
Paging Sidney Crosby: Now it’s your turn to make a threat and get this thing resolved A.S.A.P. I’m still planning to be at Staples Center on Oct. 12th for the Kings/Rangers game. Don’t disappoint me!
Via NBCS
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