Alex Ovechkin has a major decision to make this summer about his future, and more details are emerging about the timeline and factors involved, per The Athletic’s Barry Svrluga, formerly of the Washington Post.
In a story published Friday, Svrluga — one of the few local reporters who appears to have a direct line to Brian MacLellan — reported that the only contract under consideration for Ovechkin is a one-year deal for the 2026-27 season. Such an agreement would almost certainly trigger a farewell tour for the future Hockey Hall of Famer — something that he’d have to “deal with,” per Svrluga. Late in the 2025-26 season, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos wrote that a farewell tour was not something Ovechkin was interested in, as he admired Wayne Gretzky’s surprise retirement. (ESPN’s Emily Kaplan later added that Ovechkin’s inner circle said that information “didn’t come from them.”)
The short-term contract revelation comes after Ovechkin joked during his Breakdown Day interview that a perfect scenario when he next met with Capitals general manager Chris Patrick would be a multi-year offer from the team.
“I want you for two more years, this is a contract, sign it,” Ovechkin said, smiling.
If Ovechkin does return for a 22nd NHL season at age 41, the biggest factor in his decision beyond how he feels physically would be how competitive the Washington Capitals are and whether they can challenge for a Stanley Cup again. The Capitals’ plan is something that the team’s leadership at an executive level, including owner Ted Leonsis, has been “littered with questions” about from Ovechkin.
So far in the offseason, the Capitals have re-signed depth right-handed shooting defenseman Timothy Liljegren to a two-year contract and hired power-play specialist Ray Bennett as an assistant coach. (The Capitals will be Bennett’s third team in the last three seasons.)
Previously, Patrick said the Caps will be aggressive to try and land a top-six forward, though there are slim pickings in free agency, minus 33-goal-scorer Alex Tuch. Part of why the Capitals dealt pending unrestricted free agent John Carlson, Patrick explained, was to gain a desirable future asset that could potentially help the team land a star forward. They currently have slightly over $33.2 million in projected salary cap space available, heading into June when activity across the league picks up.
As for when Ovechkin will make his decision, Svrluga says it will likely not come before the NHL Draft or the start of free agency, which is the opposite of what the Capitals preferred.
“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,’” ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported in mid-April. “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.”
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery added in a recent interview that “we’ve tried to give O, especially early right now with the playoffs still going on, as much space as he needs. To be with his family, to be able to really take a minute to step back and reflect, and that’s the way the organization is approaching that, that’s how I’ll approach it now. With regards to planning – what’s it going to look like, what’s our power play look like, what’s our lines look like, there’s no time frame on it, but yeah, I’m sort of planning for two different scenarios as we speak right now.”
Carbery added that the talents of prospects like Cole Hutson and Ilya Protas likely could have some impact on if the team’s captain returns or not.
“[A]s we get younger and as we sort of look forward to what the post-Ovi era looks like, that has given him a little bit of energy and a boost at times,” Carbery said. “Just kind of seeing how much enthusiasm those young kids have and coming in, the skill level that they have. There’s no doubt that’s helped a little bit, as O has played the last couple of years.”
As for Ovechkin, he told the media before returning home to Russia that “I hope it’s not my last game” and that he’s “pretty sure” he’d return. Ovechkin has already been spotted working out this week, playing padel, and appearing to remain in great shape.
What may be the biggest challenge is when things turn serious again in the gym. Ovechkin notoriously does not enjoy offseason training, and recovery gets much harder for athletes when they enter their 40s.
“I hate preseason,” Ovechkin said during a Russian podcast interview last June, and translated by Google Translate. “I really hate it. I don’t like to just train. This is the hardest thing. Imagine you arrived after your vacation, you have a tan, everything is fine, you’re happy. And your coach calls you and says, ‘Well, Sash? Tomorrow we begin training.’ You go to training, then rest, then another training session. I hate it, I can’t stand it.”
He added jokingly, “I just want to be done with hockey.”
