The biggest question facing the Washington Capitals during the offseason is whether their captain, Alex Ovechkin, will return to play for another season or decide to retire.
Ovechkin, at age 40, recorded 64 points in 82 games played, scoring 32 times and upping his NHL goals record to 929. The Russian sniper, who is a pending unrestricted free agent on July 1, promised a decision at some point during the summer, with the Capitals hoping he’ll make up his mind before the NHL Draft in late June.
Recently, Aliaksei Protas wrote about Ovechkin’s pending decision in a Belarusian language blog post for BetNews, sharing insight he gained from being one of Ovi’s closest friends on the team.
Protas began his conversation on the topic, referencing a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that Ilya Protas and Cole Hutson‘s play at the end of the season could impact The Great 8’s decision-making on a possible return.
“I read in the press that my brother and Hutson’s impressive debut could prompt our captain to extend his contract with Washington,” Protas wrote as translated by Google Translate. “But I don’t think that’s the deciding factor in Alexander Mikhailovich’s decision to stay in the NHL. In my opinion, there are far more important factors. First and foremost, his family and his health, and only then does he see the team’s future.
“I agree that Cole and Ilya have had a promising start to their NHL careers, immediately showing serious results,” Protas continued. “But again, this is just the beginning for them; they need to work hard. The coming summer will be crucial for Ilya. He needs to arrive at camp prepared and show he’s worthy of a spot on the main roster. Fortunately, his brother has already experienced the level he needs to strive for.
“We’ll see what Alexander Mikhailovich decides. All that remains is to wait until summer, when he promised to make his decision. The club will undoubtedly respect whatever he decides.”
Protas has unique insight into Ovechkin’s decision as the two are very close off the ice. The pair traveled to Hershey, Pennsylvania, in late April to support the Bears during a 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs game, sitting together in a Giant Center suite. They were also together at Ovechkin’s house for some Hallway Hockey with Ovi’s kids and Evgeni Malkin late in the regular season. Tom Wilson even mentioned that Big Pro is essentially Ovechkin’s chauffeur now, driving him around frequently.
“Tom recently joked that I’d be the best courier in Washington because I’m always driving Ovechkin,” Protas said. “I found that kind of funny. Although, maybe Tom’s right, I don’t know. :)”
Protas concluded his thoughts on Ovi’s future, saying that that the Capitals captain could have a Jaromir Jagr-esque durability that could keep him in the league much longer if he so chooses.
“I can only add that Ovechkin could have played in the NHL for a long time,” Protas said. “At least until he’s 50. He has a lot of desire; he’s always very motivated and wants to win. But again, the most important things are family and health. I think many athletes, especially those at this level, would like to retire, so to speak, in as good a health as possible. And when you manage to do that with such a long career, it’s a significant achievement.”
For his part, Ovechkin said on Capitals’ Breakdown Day that he was “pretty sure” he hadn’t played his last game in the NHL, but wanted to know the Capitals’ plan to compete for Stanley Cup before signing on for another year.
“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.”
