The Washington Capitals will be seeing Alex Ovechkin back at MedStar Capitals Iceplex sooner rather than later.
Agent Gleb Chistyakov told MatchTV that Ovechkin will be returning to the United States in early September to join the Capitals ahead of training camp and begin prep for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign. It will mark his 20th career NHL season.
Washington's players have already started skating again, as several members of the team are taking the ice for informal skates at MedStar Capitals Iceplex ahead of the season. Ovechkin is expected to join when he returns to D.C.
Ovechkin, who turns 39 on Sept. 17, is in for a busy season as he enters the second to last year of the five-year contract he signed in 2021. He sits just 42 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record and is also hoping to compete for another Stanley Cup.
It was a rocky start to last season for Ovechkin, who had just eight goals in the first 43 games of the year before going on a 23-goal tear down the stretch for his record-setting 18th 30-goal season.
The hope is that he'll pick up where he left off and that the team's new additions from a busy offseason will aid him in his "GR8" chase.
After just barely sneaking into the playoffs last season, Washington overhauled roughly a third of its roster this offseason. The Capitals brought in in several key names to help bolster the offense, including Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun and more.
Training camp opens in mid-to-late September.
