Top 3 highest paid players in Capitals history
The Washington Capitals have been known to pay for their stars lately. There’s another team in town that is about to part ways with another one of their stars but let’s thank God that there is a salary cap in hockey.
With that said, let’s take a look into the three biggest contracts in Capitals history where chances are your favorite player got paid.
#3 John Carlson
Players that came close to making this list include Mike Green and Evgeny Kuznetsov but after the Caps won the Stanley Cup in 2018, John Carlson entered free agency and was ready to cash in.
Easily the best Capitals offensive defenseman since Green, Carlson inked a eight year, $64 million deal making eight million a year through 2025-26. In the two years since, Carlson was a top five finalist in the Norris Trophy voting before being a runner up in 2020 to Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators.
Last season Carlson averaged 2.3 points per 60 minutes. He scored a career high 17 goals and 54 assists for 71 points. It was one of his best offensive seasons in a long time and his offense continues to get better.
Like the rest of the team though he crashed and burned in the playoffs and had a costly turnover against the Florida Panthers.
#2 Nicklas Backstrom
Back when the Caps extended Nicklas Backstrom in January of 2020, it looked like a good decision. It was a chance for the core to continue to run it back and get one more jab at the Cup.
Now though, it might’ve come back to hurt them.
Backstrom undergoing rehab from hip surgery means he won’t be around for the foreseeable future but he hopes to play later on this season.
But this was a good payday for Backstrom who has served as a right hand man to Alex Ovechkin for many years. Nobody passes the puck like Backstrom and he’s an elite playmaker.
But this contract we’re talking about isn’t the five year, $46 million contract. This contract we’re talking about was the 10 year, $67 million that he signed in 2009.
Last season he recorded his 1,000th career point. The season before that he played in his 1,000th game. Although he spent last season hurt most of the year, Backstrom made the most of those two contracts and had at least 50 assists every season from 2013-14 to 2018-19.
Last season Backstrom had six goals and 25 assists for 31 points in just 47 games played. His best season came in the first year of that big payday in 2009 where he had 33 goals and 68 assists for 101 points.
#1 Alex Ovechkin
No surprises here. The Capitals signed Alex Ovechkin to a historic contract in 2008 worth 13 years and $124 million. $123,220,893 to be exact.
It is the second highest contract of all time in the NHL and as we’ve seen over the last 14 years it’s been worth every penny. Ovechkin has won a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe, a Calder Trophy, a Hart Trophy three times, a three time Ted Lindsay award, and the all time goals and points leader in Capitals history.
Now with 780 career goals he is just 115 away from passing Wayne Gretzky to become the all time leading goal scorer in NHL history. He could very well reach that number in two seasons especially if he continues to defy Father Time.
There is no doubt Ovechkin will go down as the greatest hockey player of all time when all is said and done and that’s why he signed an additional five year extension when that 13 year contract was up so he can finish his career with the Capitals and go full on the chase towards Gretzky.
light. Related Story. Breaking down the latest salary cap of the Capitals
Those are the top 3 highest Caps contracts of all time. John Carlson, Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, easily got the most out of their pay days during their time with the Capitals.