- Ovechkin signed a one-year deal but says he might play “one more year, or maybe two”
- The 40-year-old wants to prove he can still be an impact player at 41
- Read below for what Ovechkin said about the Capitals’ loaded offseason roster
Alex Ovechkin isn’t treating a 22nd season like a farewell tour.
He signed a one-year contract with the Capitals last Thursday, but the NHL’s all-time goals leader spent Monday making it clear he isn’t ready to slap an end date on his career.
Speaking to the media for the first time since the announcement, Ovechkin was asked how much longer he plans to keep going.
“I was talking to my family, my wife, first of all, and she’s like, ‘OK, let’s play one more year.’ Or maybe two years. I don’t know,” Ovechkin said.
The 40-year-old said the decision to come back was quick and easy. Watch him break it down:
This isn’t about a sendoff. Ovechkin turns 41 in September, and his focus is proving he can still push a game after his ice time fell to a career-low 17:27 last season.
He wasn’t shy about the bar he’s setting. “If I’m coming back, I have to be better,” Ovechkin said.
Washington gave him plenty of reasons to run it back. The Caps traded for Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch, then landed Boone Jenner and Vincent Desharnais in free agency after missing the playoffs.
Ovechkin liked what he saw on paper. “You can see our team is one of the best teams,” he said. “But now we have to work for the Stanley Cup.”
There’s history waiting on him too. Ovechkin sits just 11 goals shy of passing Wayne Gretzky for the most combined regular-season and playoff goals:
He led the Caps with 32 goals and 64 points across all 82 games last season, bumping his record career total to 929. He already owns the league marks for power-play goals, game-winners and 50-goal seasons.
Ovechkin ended months of retirement talk when he re-signed with Washington. Now he’s floating the idea of sticking around past 2026-27, and the Caps would gladly hold the door.
