WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin is lacing up for a 22nd season with the Washington Capitals, but whether it will be his final one remains an open question.
When asked if this could be the last chapter of his legendary career, Ovechkin kept his answer short: “I don’t know. We’ll see.”
The all-time NHL goals leader only confirmed his return last week, so it came as little surprise that he wasn’t ready to declare this a farewell tour. Ovechkin revealed that his wife had encouraged him to play “one more year, or maybe two years, I don’t know” — making it clear that no retirement announcement was coming anytime soon.
Instead, Ovechkin is zeroed in on proving he still has something to offer at age 41 and helping Washington compete for a championship. The Capitals have been among the most aggressive teams in the league this offseason, bringing in Jordan Kyrou, Alex Tuch, and Boone Jenner through trades and free agency, among other moves.
All three of those newcomers have hit the 30-goal mark at least once in their careers — something Ovechkin himself accomplished last season despite his age. Washington missed the playoffs, but the team finished with 95 points, the same total as Vegas before the Golden Knights advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. The Capitals also ranked third in the entire NHL in even-strength goal differential.
“When you look at our roster, it’s a Stanley Cup contender,” Ovechkin said. “I know I still can play, and bring energy to the locker room, energy on the ice.”
The Capitals have managed to stay competitive even as nearly the entire roster from their 2018 Stanley Cup championship has been replaced. Ovechkin and Tom Wilson are the last men standing from that title run, while Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Braden Holtby, and Evgeny Kuznetsov have all moved on at various points. Veteran defenseman John Carlson, who spent 17 seasons in Washington, was traded away last year.
The current core now revolves around Ovechkin, Wilson, Dylan Strome, Jakob Chychrun, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and goalie Logan Thompson, along with the newly added players.
“We came in looking to add skill to our top six,” said president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan. “We wanted to get a physical, long defenseman that had a net-front presence. We were looking at veteran leadership.”
Once Ovechkin told the organization he was coming back, the contract was wrapped up quickly. “Maybe 10 minutes,” he said of the negotiation. His deal pays him a $1 million base salary with up to $8 million in bonuses — including $4.75 million if he appears in at least 10 games. The contract carries a cap hit of just $4.25 million, as Washington made good use of its available cap space.
Owner Ted Leonsis expressed his gratitude during the announcement. “Alex, thank you very, very much for the way you handled this,” Leonsis said.
Ovechkin joined the call via video conference while on vacation in Turkey. Leonsis, MacLellan, and general manager Chris Patrick were all present, though head coach Spencer Carbery — who will be responsible for fitting all the new pieces together on the ice — was not on the call.
Last season, Ovechkin scored 32 goals. The year before, in 2024-25, he netted 44 and broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time career record of 894 goals. He remains a dangerous offensive presence, though he managed just five power-play goals on 86 shots last season — a reflection of Washington’s broader struggles on the power play.
Exactly how Ovechkin will be used this season is still to be determined.
“I think we have a pretty balanced team,” said general manager Chris Patrick. “Like a lot of our players, he can move up and down the lineup as how Carbs sees fit, and how he wants to use the lines and deploy the lines on a given night. And obviously the power-play piece as well, where Alex has proven time and again he’s an effective player.”
Ovechkin’s media session took place just before Monday’s Portugal-Spain World Cup match, and he drew a comparison between his own situation and that of two other aging sports icons. He spoke admiringly of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi continuing to perform at a high level against younger competition.
“If you look at Messi and Ronaldo, those players show example that if you’re able to continue show the level what you have, the skill, it’s tremendous,” Ovechkin said. “You can see how they play. It’s tremendous. I’m really impressed.”
