Alex Ovechkin may have played his final game for the Washington Capitals.
With Ovechkin’s future still up in the air, the 40-year-old franchise legend closed out his season against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, playing in front of a crowd of Caps fans who made the trip to Columbus.
Both the Capitals and Blue Jackets had been eliminated the night before, playoff hopes ended by a Philadelphia Flyers win, but the Capitals got the moral, if not meaningful, 2-1 victory, with Ovechkin earning an assist on Jakob Chychrun’s game-winning goal.
Ovechkin spoke postgame on whether, if this was indeed the end of his career, it felt good to go out with a point. While he reiterated (as he has all season) that he’s still undecided about retiring, he suggested he could have some hockey left in him.
“It’s pretty cool,” he said of the assist. “We tried to win. We tried to finish the season on a good note. I hope it’s not my last game. I don’t know, how I said, what’s going to happen. So we’ll see.”
Ovechkin did not clarify whether he was referring to his last game in the NHL specifically or his last pro hockey game in general. He has long said he’d like to reunite with his former Dynamo Moscow after ending his career with the Capitals and could be back in the KHL as soon as next season.
Last week, Ovechkin announced that he would wait until the offseason to decide if he wants to play another year in the NHL, taking time to discuss his future with both the team and his family. He told reporters he’d remain in DC for several weeks while evaluating his options before returning to Russia.
“Right now we’re going to have end (of season) meetings,” Ovechkin said Tuesday night. “Then we are going to stay a little bit in DC. I don’t know when we’re going to fly. Probably May, fly back home. And going to talk to Carbs (head coach Spencer Carbery), KP (general manager Chris Patrick), Mac (president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan), and obviously with my family, and go from there.”
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan offered more details on Ovechkin’s decision process during the broadcast of Tuesday’s game, reporting that the Capitals would prefer to have an answer before the 2026 NHL Draft.
“The Capitals have told him, ‘We would love a decision by the June 26 draft, just to help us with our roster planning for next season,’” Kaplan said. “But at the same time, they’re not pressuring him. They feel like he’s earned the right to call his shot, whenever that might be, because of everything that he’s accomplished in his career.”
With Ovechkin’s contract ending this summer, Washington will have a projected $34 million in cap space, though seven players on the team’s active roster are on expiring deals, including Ovechkin (UFA), Connor McMichael (RFA), Hendrix Lapierre (RFA), Brandon Duhaime (UFA), Trevor van Riemsdyk (UFA), Timothy Liljegren (UFA), and David Kampf (RFA). Patrick has also indicated that the Capitals are looking to add to their roster on the trade market.
While Ovechkin may be undecided on his future, DC fans in attendance at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday made their opinion clear, with chants of “One more year” ringing out during the game.
After turning down a handshake line with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, Ovechkin left the ice on Tuesday with relatively little fanfare. He headed straight down the tunnel after the team’s win celebrations, though he raised his hands to applaud the crowd.
Ovechkin, who said he was surprised to see just how many red jerseys were in the stands, made a point to thank Capitals faithful postgame.
“The fans who came here from DC and from different spots to watch the game, it was very nice,” he said. “I can hear they’re cheering for me and screaming, ‘One more year.’ So that’s important, shows lots of respect…They support us all year, and thank you very much for your support. It’s so important for us.”
