When it comes to Alex Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals know they can't rule anything out.
After all, the captain has done what was once thought to be impossible, coming back from a broken leg this past season at 39 years old to score the third-most goals in the league and overtake Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer.
“To be honest with you, you never thought how many games you’re going to play. You never think how many goals you’re going to score because you never know what’s going to happen on the ice," Ovechkin said. "I was lucky enough this year to be able to score the goals to break the record, obviously, and I’m looking forward for next year. I’m going to be 40 and I’m going to try to do my best to play and my team is going to help me, too.”
Now with the record broken and weight off his shoulders, and 897 total goals to his name, what's next for Ovechkin going into 2025-26?
Despite speculation that he could choose to retire early, Ovechkin fully intends to return to the United States and finish out the five-year contract extension he signed in 2021. After that, he doesn't know what's next, though he's said in the past that he'll continue to play as long as he finds joy in it.
For me, it’s, first of all, to make the roster at 40 years old," Ovechkin said of his goals for next year. "Like I have to pass the skating test. That’s the one thing, and then we’ll see.”
But when it comes to what exactly his play will look like, there's a lot of possibilities. Washington is looking toward the future and the post-Ovechkin era, and considering he's already broken the goals record — and is also three away from 900 — his role could potentially change as he enters the twilight of his career at age 40.
"I think a lot of that is a Spencer (Carbery) and Alex conversation. Having spoken with him a little bit after the season, I think he's pretty aware of where he is in his career and being 40 next year," general manager Chris Patrick said. "Not many guys have played in this league at that age, let alone scored as many goals in a season as he has," I think him and Carbs, they have a great relationship. They can be open and honest with each other. I think they'll hopefully be on the same page with usage and role going forward."
Ovechkin's past season, though, is proof that he can continue to produce. While speed and other factors can wane over time, the star winger still has his wicked shot and scoring instinct. That alone drove him to 44 goals this past season, and should continue to power him going forward.
As for what's next? He's not looking that far ahead, and no decision has been made regarding his future, as the Capitasl reiterated.
“To be honest with you, I haven’t thought about it yet, but we’ll see what’s going to happen,” Ovechkin said. “Obviously, I’m going to try to do my best to be able to do well next year and we’ll see.”
From management's perspective, they're not ruling anything out.
“I think we’ve learned with him to leave possibilities open all the time. I think he had a fun year this year. He really enjoyed himself," president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan said. "The team had a lot of fun together and was successful and I think he’ll come back and we’ll see where it goes from there. Hopefully, he has another good year.”
