Deal Signed by Backstrom for the Capitals at $67M for 10 Years | IXGAMES

Along with two-time league Most Valuable Player Alex Ovechkin, the 22-year old Swede has formed a solid partnership that has contributed to a whopping 210 points for the season, making them the teammates to have scored the highest in the league. Bruce Boudreau, coach for the team, has said that presently, Washington Capitals has two of the top five players in the world, and both are set to play for the team for many years to come. Ovechkin has signed a 13-year deal with the team at $124 million, and is currently on his third year. Backstrom’s decision to continue playing for the team has been fueled in part by the fact that Ovechkin will be staying with the Capitals for a considerable time, given his 13-year contract. Backstrom was quoted as saying that he wanted to play with Ovechkin with the team. He hopes Ovechkin is considering the partnership as well, since Backstrom is looking at the long term picture, maybe 10 years down the line. Backstrom hopes that he (Ovechkin) would want to play with him as well, especially for the long haul. A good contract Backstrom had been the #4 pick overall for the 2006 draft, and has had an impressive track record in his career, at 33 goals and 68 assists for this season. Furthermore, his total accumulated 101 points has achieved fourth ranking in the league. Over a span of 3 seasons in the NHL, Backstrom has yet to miss a single game. According to Backstrom’s contract, he will be paid $6 million during the following four seasons, with the amount regularly improving to $8 million by the end of the decade. In July he is expected to become a restricted free agent. No question on the money George McPhee, general manager for the team, is not concerned about investing too much time or money on just two players, namely Backstrom and Ovechkin. McPhee has said that there is always some risk associated with such big contracts, especially if the players fail to meet expectations stipulated in the contract. However, he does not entertain any thought or concern that Alex Ovechkin or Nicklas Backstrom will not compete 100% for the team. By making this decision, McPhee believes that the team is sending the right message to all the fans of the NHL, especially in terms of having players who are ready to commit full-time to their career and their team. According to McPhee, the championship crown is almost always assured when a team has this kinds of members. However, the Capitals did not live up during the first round of the play offs for this year, even though they had the best record in the NHL. When asked whether the contract placed much pressure on his performance, Backstrom reasoned that the pressure is just the same when it came to winning the Stanley Cup.