UNDATED (AP) — Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin has re-signed with the only NHL team he has ever played for, inking a five-year, $47.5 million deal. The superstar Russian who captained the Capitals to their only Stanley Cup championship in franchise history three years ago is now under contract through the 2025-26 season. The 35-year-old Ovechkin is 164 goals shy of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL record and needs to average 33 goals over the length of his new contract to break the mark.
In other NHL activity:
— Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog is staying with the team after signing an eight-year, $56 million contract late Tuesday night. That left Colorado goaltender Philipp Grubauer and Carolina defenseman Dougie Hamilton as the top unsigned prizes when the free agent market opens today.
— The Golden Knights have traded reigning Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Blackhawks. The return of a minor leaguer Mikael Hakkarainen indicates it was a salary dump. Fleury counts $7 million against the salary cap next season.
— The Blackhawks also acquired forward Tyler Johnson and a 2023 second-round pick from the salary cap-strapped Lightning. Tampa Bay received defenseman Brent Seabrook, who will spend the remaining three years of his contract on long-term injured reserve.
— Among other goalie moves around the NHL, Vancouver’s Braden Holtby and San Jose’s Martin Jones will become free agents after going on buyout waivers.
— The league says bipartisan legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to former Bruins forward Willie O’Ree has passed the U.S. Senate. O’Ree was the first Black player to compete in the NHL and played pro hockey for 22 seasons.
