- The Athletic’s Barry Svrluga reports the only contract on the table for Alex Ovechkin is a one-year deal for 2026-27
- The 40-year-old captain isn’t expected to make his call until after the June 26 NHL Draft or July 1 free agency
- Read below for Ovi’s Breakdown Day video, Spencer Carbery’s two-plan approach, and what the Capitals have already done this offseason
Alex Ovechkin is down to two options, and neither one is multi-year.
The Athletic’s Barry Svrluga reported Friday that the only contract under consideration for Ovechkin is a one-year deal for the 2026-27 season. The other option is retirement, and the Washington captain isn’t expected to make his call until after July 1 free agency opens.
That’s the opposite of what the Capitals want. Brian MacLellan and Chris Patrick had hoped for an answer by the June 26 draft to help with roster planning, but they aren’t pushing him.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan said in April the front office is willing to wait him out.
“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.”
Ovechkin himself cracked a joke about the negotiation back on Breakdown Day. The 40-year-old was asked what a perfect meeting with Patrick would look like, and he laid out his dream pitch:
“I want you for two more years, this is a contract, sign it.”
Watch his full Breakdown Day availability:
A multi-year deal isn’t happening. Per Svrluga, the one-year offer would all but trigger a farewell tour, which is something Ovechkin would have to “deal with.” He has said before he prefers a Wayne Gretzky-style surprise retirement to a season-long sendoff.
MacLellan and Patrick fielded all of this at their season-ending joint presser:
Washington’s front office is moving on what it can in the meantime. The Caps re-signed depth defenseman Timothy Liljegren to a two-year deal and brought in power-play specialist Ray Bennett as an assistant coach. Patrick has also said the team plans to chase a top-six forward, though Alex Tuch is about the only legitimate scorer hitting free agency.
Spencer Carbery, for his part, is planning for both worlds.
“There’s no time frame on it, but yeah, I’m sort of planning for two different scenarios as we speak right now.”
The biggest factor in Ovechkin’s call, per Svrluga, is whether the Capitals can realistically chase another Stanley Cup with him on the roster. With more than $33 million in projected cap space and a hole at top-six forward, that part is still on Patrick.
