As long as Alexander Ovechkin is around for the next decade, his running mate might as well be too. That's clearly what the Capitals figured, because they're reportedly going to sign center Nicklas Backstrom to a new 10 year, $67 million contract, according to Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.
Bashir has more details on Backstrom's extension here.
Nicklas Backstrom's contract escalates from $6 million to $8 million, I'm told. It breaks down like this: $6 mil., 6, 6, 6, 6.5, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 7.5 and 8.
Ten years might seem like a lot, but Backstrom's probably a bargain at that price. As long as Ovechkin is around until his mid-30s, it makes sense to lock up his 22-year old running mate for a decade too. Backstrom wasn't the problem with the Caps in the playoffs this year, so there's really no reason to give him an out when he's just hitting his prime.