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Originally Posted by Resolute 14
Yup.
A guy like Ovechkin will go with his owner's blessing.
But the league (re: Bettman) will be putting pressure on any owners who haven't already spoken publicly about it to stand with the league's position - and most will.
Any player who leaves without permission will certainly be suspended without pay for the duration. For a $5 million player, that's going to be over a half million dollars. And in the worst case scenario where they suffer a major injury, the team would certainly have the option to walk away from their contracts entirely.
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Ovechkin still won't be going. The owner of the Caps is a smart guy, he played his cards perfectly so the backlash will land on Gary Bettman's lap from his players that want to go, not his own. I am 100% sure he doesn't want Ovi going either but he is not going to say that and alienate his Russian star player. Well played. I expect an announcement in the near future from the IIHF saying they are disappointed...blah, blah, blah...NHL players will not be eligible to compete at the Olympics due to legal issues and no agreement with the NHL.