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Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin has accomplished a lot in his legendary hockey career, and he can continue adding to his resume in the NHL, with a new season ahead for the Russian. However, there is only a year left on his current contract, a fact that is feeding rumors about the 2025-26 NHL campaign being his last before retiring.
Adding more fuel to the rumors is the lack of movement on the negotiation table between Ovechkin and the Capitals.
“We are not in negotiations yet,” Ovechkin shared to Andrey Senchenko of rsport.ria.ru (h/t Antonio Losada of Athlon Sports). “Would you like to stay at the club? A year will pass, and we will think about it. We will live and see.”
Ovechkin, who will turn 40 years old in September, put pen to paper for a five-year, $47.5 million contract extension with the Capitals back in 2021.
The Capitals have not won a Stanley Cup since, nor have they gone past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but there is no denying the big impact that Ovechkin continues to have on the team, on and off the ice.
Ovechkin's chase for Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL record for career goals garnered the Capitals a ton of attention, even beyond the realm of the sport, particularly during the 2024-25 season, when the seemingly ageless forward led his team with 44 goals despite missing plenty of time because of an injury and being held to only 65 games.
There is perhaps no rush for Ovechkin and the Capitals to get things done regarding his contract situation, as the all-time great appears to be taking his time to decide on his future.
At his age, it doesn't seem that Ovechkin will be in the NHL for many more years, but at the same time, there's clearly plenty of gas left in his tank, given the way he played last season. His total goals output in the previous campaign was third overall in the league and more than what the likes of David Pastrňák, Brayden Point and Kyle Connor each produced. In addition, the three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner had 29 assists for a total of 79 points. Another motivation for Ovechkin to keep it going is his pursuit of becoming a member of the rare 1,500-games club in the NHL. So far in his career, he's skated in 1,491 games.
