Alex Ovechkin is set to be an unrestricted free agent in exactly 16 days. Where things stand between team and player on a new deal is a mystery. During the season, Ovechkin described his negotiations with the Capitals as status quo and we’ll see to, at the very end of the year, I want to finish my career here. I’m pretty sure we will do something soon. That seems pretty optimistic right? Then insider Elliotte Friedman put it out there that it’s believed that Ovi and the Caps have come to an agreement, but are waiting to announce the news – ie: the contract is in the drawer – likely to allow the team to protect an extra player during the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft.
So with all that context established, the Washington Capitals took to their Instagram account on Monday and posted a seemingly innocuous photo of Ovechkin looking for a fist bump.
Is it vapid #summercontent or is there a hidden message here?
I didn’t think much of the photo (#summercontent) until I got messages from several of my friends who thought there could be something there there. They asked if I thought a contract extension announcement was coming soon – like tonight or tomorrow. I told them I didn’t think so.
What I do know is that Alex Ovechkin is one of the greatest players of all time. The team has had a bunch of time to prepare for a new contract. It has a ton of incentive to get cutesy, plan out and unfurl a complicated social media campaign (remember NB19’s extension?), and get us all talking before and after Ovechkin re-signs (if it indeed does happen). Is this a part of that? One can only guess.
Just if my friends are thinking and talking about this, you might be too. So let’s take it to the RMNB community: what do you think the Capitals were doing here with this post? Does it mean anything?
