First, TSN reports a deal is done, now they're saying it's not finalized, but they're discussing...

Tarik,

Is this what you meant by hoping to have a Green article for tomorrow's paper?

I just got off the horn with our Ottawa office to uhuh, cough... discuss business and they hear it to. The numbers are correct from their sources but he could still make 10M per with incentives. That is alot of Primantti Bros sandwiches Penguins Fans!

Wow, wouldn't that be a great thing to announce at the STH party.

Just so it's not missed, K, if you read it here, email me at weatherman2111@gmail.com Thanks!

Berniewolffan,

Thank you for revealing your ignorance. Per the CBA, Ovechkin is not eligible to receive ANY incentives whatsoever.

"Wow, wouldn't that be a great thing to announce at the STH party."

I think you have there the reason why Caps won't confirm this report now.

Hey FS

Not arguing with you, but could you clarify that. I am not familiar with that part of the CBA.

the atmosphere is "right"?! C'mon, Caps!!

in other news, "Playboy mansion goes on a tour of Washington"... "weekly supply of candles and vodka runs out in DC"... "Russian machine never breaks - indeed..".. oops, right, "Ovechkin signs historic deal with the Caps, terms to follow.."

FS,
That is not what I read in the CBA. Define incentives? Do you have a link? I'd like to read and forward.

I posted this yesterday.

"What players may earn in performance bonuses?

Performance bonuses will only be permissible for the following types of players: (1) players on entry-level contracts; (2) players signing one-year contracts after returning from long-term injuries (players with 400 or more games who spent 100 or more days on injured reserve in the last year of their most recent contract); and senior veteran players who sign a one-year contract after the age of 35."

http://www.nhl.com/nhlhq/cba/index.html

Just watch-Ovie's deal will be confirmed and then 10 minutes later the Skins will have a new coach. See you on the back page!!

If OV gets his contract (and I hope he does), it will significantly change the dynamic on how the Caps are built moving forward.

Tariq, I believe that no one player can make 20% or greater than the team roster - correct? So if he does get $9M/season, caps payroll must be around $45M/year++

I'm sure there's creative ways to navigate around that issue, but anyway you slice it, if the Caps are signing OV long term, then they have to add more $$ to the payroll..sooner vs. later.

Bring in Sundin!

Hahaha... There was a pseudo-rumor going around that the Caps were going to announce an AO contract at the season ticket holder meet and greet tonight. I had dismissed it as a joke, but now I'm not sure ;)

No player can earn more than 20% of the salary cap, not any individual teams cap number.

If the salary cap is $50 million, a team could conceivably pay one player $10 million and spend $10 million on the rest of the team.

@OVBaby

The max salary for any one player isn't based on cap hit, it's 20% of the cap. The team salary doesn't factor in.

nah... he's still going to nashville for the rights to nolan yonkman, 10 minutes of picking poile's brain for the upcoming draft and a gibson lloyd loar F5.

p(4)!

I'm planning on getting some numbers crunched tonight. I'll put the 9 M per year for AO.

I do not see this as a "significant change" in how the team will be built. This team has from the beginning been built around AO. When they signed him in 04, they defined what the team would look like.

OVBaby! That's not correct. The individual salary cap has nothng to do with a team's actual payroll. It is set according to the overall salary cap for all teams, so all teams have the same individual cap level. It's 20% of the salary cap that all teams are subject to, not 20% of the team's payroll.

OK, I'm quite late on that one. Thanks everybody! At least we all agree.

@BernieWFan,

I used to do that with our Toronto office, but for some reason they aren't too interested in talking hockey these days...

Projected salary cap next year is $55million so max. salary is 20% of that number. The cap hit is the average salary/year so we don't know yet what the hit will be and therefore how much cap space is left.

Oh please oh please Oh please oh please Oh please oh please Oh please oh please Oh please oh please Oh please oh please Oh please oh please Oh please oh please let this be

Here's a good site for number crunching:

http://nhlnumbers.com/overview.php?team=WAS

I'm thinking that a deal was reached, but George McPhee's keeping it on the DL until the Meet the Team party tonight.

/Hope I'm right...

If the team is smart, they will not wait until the party tonite, but will release it for drive time.

And, one would think they'd give it to their locals first--big no-no that RDS had it first.

@FS et al,
I'm being played by my colleagues in Ottawa. They know Ovie CANNOT make incentives and I too should have known but in my enthusiasm, I bought their "Ottawa Sun" report hook, line, and sing-care. It is 9M per year and they are very happy Ovie is not in Montreal. They promised me beers next time I'm up. Geez...Just got caught up in the moment.

There may be something to the tie in with the event tonight. They changed the format to have the formal introduction of the team and the program at the beginning of the evening rather than at the end as it has been in the past. This way everyone is there and listening...???

It's just the team announcing that they have traded Green & OV for a 4th round pick. They caps will pick up half of each of their future salaries.

(I can't get my hopes up. That way I'm not dissapointed)

An example of why I don't trust the Ottowa Sun's reporting.

Chicken farm blaze not suspicious
A blaze last week which killed about 6,000 chickens northeast of Cornwall is not suspicious, police reported Monday.

Damned chickens were smoking again, I'll bet! Now that's a story for the newspaper of a nation's capital.

@Lee
"It's just the team announcing that they have traded Green & OV for a 4th round pick. They caps will pick up half of each of their future salaries."

Holy crap really?!!??!oneeleven! I hope the outside markets don't get a hold of that hot information! They'll have a field day!

@Greg S.
"An example of why I don't trust the Ottowa Sun's reporting."

Classic!

@ Greg S.,

Its Canada, they have a slower pace of life, and they love chickens.

So, suddenly, I'm annoyed that I long ago said I didn't want to go to the STH party.

I wonder if they sold those chickens as BBQ'ed. Maybe smoked?

Caps to hold a press conf at 8:30 tonight according to Comcast/

Ok, just got off the horn with some others who tell it like it is. The powers that be in Ottawa were pissing themselves that Ovie could have been in Montreal. Think about it. When people ask where they're from and they reply "Ottawa, the nations capital." The next question is "Is that where the Canadians play?"

Anyway, the city gave themselves until the "end of the decade" (JFK voice) to win a cup and they think that could have been squashed if Ovie went to Montreal.

Ovie staying in DC is bigger news then we all think, and the Labatts will be flowing on Rideau Street t'night.

Caps call 8:30 PM press conference according to Comcast Sportsnet.