At his worst, the "Czar" could have become a Florida Panthers property in 2003, the year before he was drafted. But in 2003, Ovechkin was not eligible for the draft, while the Panthers held the 3rd overall pick that year.
At the time, Rick Dudley was the general manager of the Florida Panthers, then tried to convince the NHL that Ovechkin was eligible if leap years were calculated, as he was two days away from being selected in 2003.
"In the 2003 draft, the Panthers did their best to select Alex Ovechkin, who was born two days after the deadline for that year's draft class. General manager Rick Dudley argued that Ovechkin was eligible if leap years were taken into account!"
