Alex Ovechkin has confirmed that he won’t have his NHL retirement decision made before free agency opens on July 1.
Previous reporting indicated that Ovechkin’s decision-making process this summer would extend into July, and Ovechkin himself circled that month in a FONBET interview with Russian soccer legends Vladislav Radimov, Dmitri Alenichev, Andrey Tikhonov, and Yegor Titov.
The four former soccer pros caught up with Ovechkin as he attended the Russian Cup Superfinal between Spartak and Krasnodar with his family, Dmitry Orlov, and Mikhail Sergachev.
The conversation went like this, per a YouTube transcription of the Russian-language interview and a Google Translate translation:
Alenichev: You’ll play there for another year, right?
Ovechkin: I haven’t decided.
Alenichev: When will you decide, if it’s not a secret?
Ovechkin: It’s not a secret. What’s a secret? In July, for sure.
Ovechkin’s self-imposed July deadline will come after the Capitals had reportedly wanted to know his plans. According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the team would prefer to know their captain’s decision before the 2026 NHL Draft on June 26-27, as they could likely want to use some of their draft capital to improve their roster via trade.
Shortly after the conclusion of his 21st year with the club, Ovechkin told the media that “I hope it’s not my last game” and that he’s “pretty sure” he’d return. With Ovechkin also seemingly staying in shape this summer, the Capitals, who are seeking an upgrade to their top-six forwards with or without Ovechkin, could operate with the belief that he’s assuredly returning for at least one more season.
Given that he won’t have a decision before he officially becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, Ovechkin could technically field contract offers from NHL teams other than the Capitals. Though, on Breakdown Day last month, he seemed to mostly dismiss that possibility.
“Probably not, no,” Ovechkin said when asked if he’d consider playing somewhere else.
Ovechkin has said that the number-one thing on his mind when determining if he’s ready for another year will be whether the Capitals are ready to compete for the franchise’s second Stanley Cup. Most of the offseason roster movement done by NHL teams happens around the draft and the first few days of free agency. If the Caps make a big move, Ovechkin will likely receive the signal he needs to sign on the dotted line shortly after.
Washington has plenty of cap space this summer, $31.3 million, per PuckPedia, so they will have the flexibility to add before then. The Capitals and Ovechkin could seek a deal similar to the one Evgeni Malkin signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday: a one-year contract worth $5.5 million, with bonuses that could make it worth up to $9 million.
According to Match TV, Ovechkin is soon set to fly to Turkey for his annual beach-volleyball-filled vacation. In the interview with FONBET, Ovechkin also spoke about his interest in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
