TOP NHL rookie Alexander Ovechkin is the subject of a tug of war between the Washington Capitals and Dynamo Moscow, one of his old teams.

Dynamo want a US court to uphold a Russian arbitrator's ruling that they still own the rights to Ovechkin, the top pick in the 2004 NHL Draft.

The Capitals say the Russians' claim on the 20-year-old has no legal merit.

One of the league's best young players, Ovechkin leads the Caps and all rookies with 15 goals in his first NHL season.

Washington general manager George McPhee said: "We have been assured by legal counsel that both the ruling and the attempt to enforce it in the US are without merit.

"Alex exercised his right to opt out of the Russian contract this past summer and signed with the Capitals.

"We are confident that the court will uphold Alex's contractual status and decision."

Ovechkin opted out of his 2005-06 contract with Avangard Omsk of Russia in July.

However, his previous club Dynamo claims it matched Avangard Omsk's contract offer, without an opt-out clause, so it feels it is entitled to Ovechkin's services.

He played for Dynamo for three seasons. The entire 2004-05 NHL season was lost to a salary cap dispute.