Alex Ovechkin was back in front of the media at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for the first time this season, Thursday. The Capitals captain spoke with reporters after he left the team’s first practice early with a lower-body injury, which Ovechkin indicated he is unconcerned about.
While his injury was the most pressing concern, Ovechkin mostly fielded questions about his uncertain NHL future. The league’s all-time leading goal scorer is headed into the final year of his contract with the Capitals and has yet to begin talks with the club about playing further seasons in the nation’s capital.
“No, not [thinking about another contract] yet,” Ovechkin said Thursday. “So, we’ll see what’s going to happen. I just came back almost a week ago, so I’m pretty sure we have lots of time to talk.”
Ovechkin became eligible for a contract extension with the Capitals on July 1, but has said that he plans on playing out the full extent of the season before deciding whether he wants to put pen to paper on another deal with the Caps.
“Would I like to stay at the club? A year will pass, and we will think about it,” Ovechkin said in July. “We will live and see.”
Rumblings about Ovechkin’s potential final NHL season began in late May when a sales department email from the Capitals was erroneously sent out to a select group of season-ticket holders, claiming that the 2025-26 season would be Ovi’s last in the NHL.
When pressed further about his future, Ovechkin declined to give a clear answer. “I don’t know,” he said. “Do you know? I don’t know if it’s going to be last. We’ll see.”
General manager Chris Patrick was also asked about his approach to the situation on Thursday and relayed that he’s leaving everything up to Ovechkin.
“I want him to have the space to have this season go how he wants it to go,” Patrick said. And, you know, if he wants to talk, we’ll talk. If not, we’ll figure it out later.
“I’m just at a point where every time I see him play, I’m just appreciating it because he’s 40 years old. We’re not going to have this forever. To get to witness that every night is a treat.”
Patrick added that Ovechkin’s impending free agency will be handled independently of how the team manages the same upcoming process with veteran defenseman John Carlson.
The 2025-26 campaign will be Ovechkin’s 21st in the NHL, and he will enter the year just three goals shy of becoming the first player ever to score 900 career goals. He is also just nine games away from becoming just the 23rd player to ever play in 1,500 career games.
