Alex Ovechkin remains reticent about his future

FILE - Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin (8) watches the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Semi-final round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker, File)

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — The chase is done. Is the farewell tour next?

Alex Ovechkin remained reticent about his future Thursday when he spoke with reporters at the Washington Capitals' media day. A day after his 40th birthday, the NHL's career goal-scoring leader said he hasn't been thinking much about what happens after this, his 21st season.

“No, not yet,” Ovechkin said. “So, we’ll see what’s going to happen.”

That wait-and-see approach seems fine with the Capitals as Ovechkin enters the last season of his contract. The Russian star scored 44 goals last season despite a broken leg that limited him to 65 games. His pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals was a highlight of the NHL season, and Ovechkin enters the 2025-26 campaign three shy of 900.

“If he’s playing well and he’s scoring goals and he wants to stick around, I’m sure they will figure a way to keep him around. If he doesn’t want to play another year, then he won’t play a year,” teammate Tom Wilson said. “I think he’s a guy that’s just a staple here. No one will really think about him not being around here until it smacks us all in the face.”

Now that he's passed Gretzky, this could be a quieter season around Ovechkin, but unless he commits to playing further, it will be understandable if fans assume this might be their last chance to see him.

“I want him to have the space to have this season go how he wants it to go,” general manager Chris Patrick said. “If he wants to talk, we’ll talk. If not, we’ll figure it out later.”

Ovechkin left the ice Thursday to be evaluated for a lower-body injury, a move coach Spencer Carbery called precautionary.

The Capitals unexpectedly finished atop the Metropolitan Division last season and won a playoff series for the first time since capturing the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 2018. Carbery won the Jack Adams Award as the league's coach of the year, and Ovechkin passing Gretzky made the season even more memorable in Washington.

An encore may be challenging for the 40-year-old winger and his team, but the Capitals have managed to avoid a drastic rebuild since winning it all. They've missed the playoffs just once in the last 11 seasons. So it's realistic for Ovechkin to keep eyeing some lofty team goals now that he has little more to accomplish from an individual standpoint.

That's quite a contrast to the last few weeks of the 2024-25 regular season, when the record chase took center stage.

“I think you just get tired to hear, ‘When’s it going to happen? Are you going to do it?’" Ovechkin said. "Me, teammates, all the organization. Right now, we’re just focusing on different things.”

And there’s little indication that his enthusiasm for the sport is waning.

“I would bet dollars to donuts that the first goal he scores this year, the reaction is going to be just like it has been his entire career,” Carbery said. “He loves the game, he loves to come to the rink, he loves to be around his teammates, he loves to go out and compete and try to win. He loves to score goals. So, I don’t think that will change one bit even though he’s passed Wayne and now has the all-time goal record.”

Ovechkin isn't the only longtime standout entering the final year of his contract with the Capitals. Defenseman John Carlson is nearing the end of the eight-year deal he signed immediately after the Stanley Cup run. He said there haven't been any discussions of an extension yet.

“I think anybody would probably love security, I think that's a normal thought to have,” the 35-year-old Carlson said. “But I'm not thinking about it, no.”

Most of the focus will understandably be on Ovechkin's contract status — and even that can occasionally take a back seat to whatever milestones remain.

“I’m excited for 900,” Patrick said. “I’m just at the point where every time I see him play, I’m just appreciative of it. He’s 40 years old. We’re not going to have this forever. To get to witness this every night, it’s a treat.”

NOTES: Patrick said the team couldn't comment much on the NHL investigation that led the Capitals to put assistant coach Mitch Love on leave. “One thing we can say is our understanding are these allegations are personal in nature and not hockey-related," Patrick said.

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