Alex Ovechkin didn’t sound like a player ready to call it quits on his NHL career at the Washington Capitals’ Breakdown Day on Thursday.
While many of the answers that the team’s 40-year-old captain gave were repeats from the last few weeks, Ovechkin did shed some new light on what he will be taking into consideration as he decides whether or not to sign on for another season with the Capitals.
“I’m not going to tell everything to you, what I think, and what options are going to be,” Ovechkin said. “Well, obviously, if I want to come back, it has to be a decision. First of all, we’re going to make playoffs, and we have to fight for a Cup. That’s probably the biggest thing. Otherwise, if you take different scenario, like family-wise, health-wise, but in team-wise, I think this is the most important thing for me.”
The Capitals missed the playoffs for just the fifth time during Ovechkin’s 21-year stint with the club, trailing the Philadelphia Flyers by three standings points at the end of their 82-game schedule. Given their position in the standings at the trade deadline in March, they also sold big pieces of their roster, namely John Carlson and Nic Dowd, to collect future assets that could be used this summer to add back to the club.
While bringing in some new faces could play a part in luring Ovechkin back for another run, he sounds like he’s also getting pressure to return from an even closer presence in his life. Ovechkin’s two hockey-loving sons, Sergei and Ilya, don’t sound ready to see their dad depart DC just yet.
“I think, honestly, I’m pretty sure it’s not my last game,” Ovechkin said. “I hope it’s not my last game against Columbus. Like I said, I have to make a decision to see where we are. The team, family. Obviously, family is going to support me, like my wife and kids already asked me, like, ‘Dad, are you staying or not?’ I tell them, ‘We’ll see.’ Yeah, they’re excited. They want me to come back because they love the city, they love the team, they love the boys.”
Ovechkin stated that he has yet to even talk to head coach Spencer Carbery and, perhaps more importantly, general manager Chris Patrick after the Capitals’ season ended. When asked what he’d like to hear from Patrick when he does meet with him, Ovechkin joked, “I want you for two more years, this is a contract, sign it.”
While he will technically become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, Ovechkin also confirmed that he has no plans to play for an NHL team that isn’t the Capitals.
“Probably not, no,” Ovechkin said.
Ovechkin has consistently mentioned that how his body feels after another 82-game grind will also play a huge factor in determining whether he’s back to do it all over again in the fall. When he played against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, he became just the fifth different player in NHL history to play all 82 games in a season at age 40 or older.
In that game, he recorded an assist on Jakob Chychrun‘s game-winning goal, finishing the season with a team-leading 64 points (32g, 32a). Ovechkin also confirmed that he suffered a hamstring injury working out with trainer Pavel Burlachenko ahead of training camp, which limited his start to the season.
“It’s up to me, how I’m gonna handle my body, how I’m gonna train, and everything,” Ovechkin said. “When you in the season and you have 25-30 minutes skate it’s nice, but in the summer you have to work your ass off to get better and be in shape. When you’re 20, it’s normal thing, but when you’re 40, it’s kind of hard and harder every year. So, I’m going to talk to Pavel, and I will figure out, and I’ll see what’s decision gonna be, and from that we gonna prepare.”
Ovechkin was also very positive about the young players the Capitals mixed into their group this season, clearly happy with how they performed and how they could help the team return to the playoffs as soon as next season. The Caps saw four rookies, Ryan Leonard, Justin Sourdif, Cole Hutson, and Ilya Protas, play big roles, particularly in these last few weeks as the team pushed for the postseason.
“I think young guys step up big time,” Ovechkin said. “You can see it. Leno producing, like obviously Huts come up, and he shows his skills and confidence. Obviously, Little Pro. They’re going to be great players in the league, and to have that experience, because we’re fighting for a playoff spot. It was kind of like 10 to 12 games, basically, was for us like Game Seven. You know, if you lose, you stay in the same spot, or you move up for fighting for a playoff spot.”
As ESPN’s Emily Kaplan indicated during Tuesday’s game, the Capitals would like to be informed of what Ovechkin wants to do before the 2026 NHL Draft on June 26-27. Given that unofficial deadline, Ovechkin would have a little more than two months to weigh his options.
Soon after the draft, NHL free agency will open on July 1, and that’s when most of the teams around the league officially open shop with their rosters. To compete for the franchise’s second Cup, as Ovechkin desires, the Capitals and their almost $40 million in cap space will need to explore adding as much as they can.
