Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin is the latest NHL player to sign a contract with an overseas team for the lockout.
The former NHL MVP will sign with his former Russian team, Dynamo Moscow, according to ESPN.com. The team made an announcement on Wednesday about the signing and said that Ovechkin already went through his medical exams.
Ovechkin previously made his professional hockey debut with the Dynamo as a 16-year old.
The NHL lockout hit its fifth day on Wednesday and while the two sides have been in contact, no progress has been made.
Ovechkin spoke to the Sovetsky Sport, a Russian daily newspaper, about his frustrations and the lockout.
"If the league (NHL) continues to insist on their (demands), then it will take a full year. That's because we are not going to cave in," Ovechkin said, according to the newspaper. "Then I will spend the entire season in the KHL. It's an absolute reality."
Ovechkin is considered one of the top players in the league and won back-to-back MVP awards in 2008 and 2009. Last season he had 28 goals and 65 assists and led the team to the second round of the playoffs where they fell to the New York Rangers.
Other players who signed on Wednesday include Ottawa Senators center Jason Spezza, who signed with Rapperswil-Jona of the Swiss Elite League, according to ESPN.com. He had a career high in points last year after scoring 34 goals and 50 assists.
San Jose Sharks captain Joe Thornton and Rangers winger Rick Nash both officially signed with Davos in Switzerland, while Thornton's teammate Logan Couture signed with Geneva.
According to ESPN.com sources, Anze Kopitar from the Los Angeles Kings has also signed overseas with Mora IK of the Swedish league's second division.
A number of big-name players have signed with Kontinental Hockey League teams, including Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, Ottawa's Sergei Gonchar and New Jersey Devils' star Ilya Kovalchuk, who signed a deal with SKA St. Petersburg
Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk and Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov are also expected to sign with teams in the KHL in Russia.
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov will return to his former club Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. The team put together a new roster after suffering a plane crash last year that tragically killed 44 people in September.
Other players who have signed contracts or agreed to play overseas include New York Islanders defenseman Mark Streit, who will play in Switzerland with his hometown team in Bern, Philadelphia Flyers winger Ruslan Fedotenko to HC Donbass in Russia and Dallas Stars winger Jaromir Jagr, who will play for Kladno in the Czech Republic.
KHL teams who sign NHL players must follow certain rules, including that the salaries of NHL players they sign must not exceed 65 percent of what they earn under their NHL deals.
Most deals also contain an opt-out clause for players for when the lockout officially ends, allowing them to return to the NHL.
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