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In the wake of the news of Sidney Crosby signing a five-year $43 million contract extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins, my friend Dmitry Chesnokov of Sovetsky Sport, Russia's answer to Sports Illustrated, got Alexander Ovechkin on the phone to ask him what he thought about the contract.

Chesnokov's note -- excerpted in SS and translated from Russian -- follows:

After Crosby signed the contract extension, Sovetsky Sport got Alex Ovechkin on the phone to comment on the event.

"What can I say? Good for Crosby! It is easier for any player to come out and play when he knows that his future is secure. I think Pittsburgh wasted no time offering Crosby the deal because of what Edmonton did trying to sign a restricted free agent. Any Canadian team (and not only Canadian) could have offered great terms to Crosby in the future. And who knows if the Penguins could have matched it. But now Sindey is staying in Pittsburgh, and will stay there beyond 2013, in my opinion."

When asked about his contract, Ovechkin said:

"I will negotiate with the Capitals myself. To be precise, I will wait for their offer. If I like it, I will sign the contract. If I don't, then I will get myself an agent (I don't have one right now) to represent me in talks with the Capitals."

Now that's an interesting piece of news -- if he likes the contract he'll sign, if not, it's time for an agent. In any case, it looks like the ball is firmly in the Caps court.