- Pierre LeBrun says the Capitals have a good read on where Alex Ovechkin’s future is trending
- Ovechkin plans to announce whether he plays a 22nd NHL season in July
- Read below for what’s driving the call and when it lands
The Washington Capitals already have a pretty good idea of which way Alex Ovechkin is leaning. They just want him to be sure before anyone says it out loud.
Pierre LeBrun reported in his latest The Athletic notebook that the team has stayed in steady contact with its captain since the season ended.
The front office “has kept the lines of communication open with [Ovechkin] since the end of the season, and there’s a pretty good level of understanding of where things are trending, but everyone involved just wants to make sure No. 8 is 100 percent sure before committing to his decision, either way,” LeBrun wrote.
Read between the lines and it sounds like a team bracing for one more year of the Great 8, not a goodbye.
Ovechkin has hinted at the same thing for months. After the regular-season finale against Columbus, he was asked about walking away and didn’t close the door.
“I hope it’s not my last game,” he said.
He got firmer at breakdown day: “I think, honestly, I’m pretty sure it’s not my last game.” The final call comes down to how the Caps are built for next season, how his family feels, and how his body holds up. Ovechkin plans to announce the decision in July.
The captain is already having fun with the wait. He worked the whole thing into a commercial for the “Match of the Year” charity game in Russia, where he’s set to suit up next month.
Watch the ad:
Whatever he picks, the resume is already finished. Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history last spring, and the two shared the moment afterward.
Here’s the photo of the two legends with the record puck:
Ovechkin said the answer comes in July. The Capitals, like everyone else, are left waiting on his call.
