With speculation running rampant about what Alex Ovechkin decides to do next season, the Washington Capitals captain didn’t offer any answers Wednesday morning on his future plans, saying he would decide this summer if he makes a return to North America.
Of course, it will be a complex decision for Ovechkin, who will be 41 when the 2026-27 season starts in late September, who clearly has looked slower this season but still managed to score 31 goals despite a Washington team that saw a decline in scoring across the board with the team being thin up front.
Ovechkin, announced as the team’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominee just hours after the video was released, is wrapping up his 21st NHL season, with likely just four regular-season games left this season as the Caps figure to miss the postseason for the first time since 2022-23.
Capitals superstar is slowing down but…
Ovechkin hasn’t really passed the eye test this season, it still would be a tall task to replace the team’s leading goal scorer in the lineup, and clearly with the team already desperately needing a Top 6 forward, it just makes the task that much harder in a market that isn’t making many available.
Ovechkin also may see what the Capitals elect to do this summer before deciding on a return, as with Washington missing the playoffs for just the fifth time during his two-decade stint with the Capitals, and trading away John Carlson at the trade deadline to seemingly cut ties with the second-longest tenured player he told reporters was the “toughest day in my career.”
Unlike last season where Ovechkin missed 16 games with a broken leg, this season was smoother in terms of health for Ovechkin, and seemingly didn’t see much of a decline in ice time over the season, although certainly wasn’t fed the puck as often as last year’s record-breaking season.
His family also will factor into the decision, although there have been some mixed signals, as his wife reportedly said last summer indicated he would stay in Russia after this season, but his mother told Russian media this past week he should keep playing if he wants to.
The biggest factor barring an unknown ailment or desire to remain in Russia would seemingly be if Ovechkin thinks the Capitals can win one more Stanley Cup before he likely finishes his career with Dynamo Moscow, as he has long indicated he would after his NHL career is done.
Clearly, the Capitals took a big step backwards this season, not filling the shortcomings the team had and eventually electing to sell off veterans instead of push to get into the postseason, and if the team decides to not really address these issues over the summer, it would be unclear if he would come back for another year of needing to struggle just to qualify for a spot.
Prediction: One more year for Ovie
Ultimately, chances seem better than 50-50 that Ovechkin comes back on a one-year deal. Quietly retiring after the season seems artificially anti-climactic for someone with such a flair for the dramatic (in a good way).
However, delaying the decision certainly gives him some leverage on if the team decides to upgrade. It’s also possible the Capitals and their captain can’t come to terms on a deal, but for the amount that the marketing of their superstar who has lifted the franchise since his arrival in 2005, it would seem unlikely they wouldn’t find a number that they could agree on.
Certainly, the uncertainly over Ovechkin’s future that has lingered since last summer isn’t going to go away anytime soon, and while this Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins could be his last at Capital One Arena, it seems more likely than not he will return for another NHL season.
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