Throughout the 2025-26 NHL season, the Washington Capitals didn’t know for sure whether legendary winger Alex Ovechkin would be back for another year.
But as the campaign came to an end, Dylan Strome and his teammates started to get a feeling that their captain wasn’t quite ready to walk away. Strome recently talked about some of the key moments that clued him and others in about Ovechkin’s true intentions during an appearance on TSN’s OverDrive earlier this week.
“We really didn’t know,” Strome said. “I think we all had a bit of an inclination that he was going to come back once he didn’t want to shake hands with the Penguins players, and he kind of didn’t want to do a final goodbye against Columbus in our last game there, and his family wasn’t at the game.
“But at the same time, you never know what happens in the summer and if he really wanted to do it again. I think he saw some of the moves our team made and the fact that we could be a really good team this year.”
The first moment Strome refers to came on April 12, when the Capitals hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins in what was Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby’s 100th all-time meeting. After Washington’s 3-0 victory, the Penguins remained on the ice for a potential farewell handshake line with Ovechkin. Instead, Ovechkin waved them off and headed toward the locker room.
Just two days later, the Capitals traveled to play the Columbus Blue Jackets in their final game of the year. A large contingent of Caps fans made the trip to witness what could have been Ovechkin’s final game — Capitals owner Ted Leonsis did as well — and Ovechkin acknowledged them as he departed the ice. However, during his postgame media availability, he said he hoped the contest was not his last in the NHL.
Ovechkin later made it clear that the number-one thing his return would be contingent on was whether or not the Capitals were ready to compete for a Stanley Cup. The Caps then went out and had arguably the most impressive offseason of any team, bringing in names like Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, and Boone Jenner. Ovechkin then re-signed for one year just a day after free agency opened.
“He’s still a huge part of our team,” Strome said. “He led our team in goals and points last year. You don’t want to lose a guy like that, and what he does for the locker room, on and off the ice, you can’t replace that with what he’s done in his career and how much he means to the team.”
Strome was again Ovechkin’s primary center for the majority of the season. However, he struggled to live up to the high-scoring expectations he has set for himself during his stint with the Capitals. In 80 games, the 29-year-old pivot recorded 58 points (19g, 39a), a full 24 fewer than he notched the season prior.
With Ovechkin back, head coach Spencer Carbery could turn to a combination featuring him and Strome again, but the Capitals will have a bevy of new options up front that he could test out. The club’s training camp is set to officially get underway on Thursday, September 17.
