Washington Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin is 40 years old, and he is in the final year of his contract. When the 2025-26 season comes to an end, there will be many questions about his future in the NHL. Will he come back to Washington or will he retire and go back home to Russia?
Those questions remain a mystery for now. The Capitals will resume play on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers. Washington has a 29-23-7 record with 65 points this season. If the season ended today, the Capitals would not be in the playoffs. Ovechkin would like to make the playoffs one more time potentially before he retires.
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In 59 games played this season for Washington, he has scored 22 goals and has recorded 26 assists. His plus/minus rating is 2. Will the final 23 games of the season for the Capitals be it for Ovechkin’s career?
NHL Analyst Wonders if the Second Half Will Be It for Washington Capitals Legend Alex Ovechkin
Tom Gulitti of nhl.com has 10 questions about the second half of the NHL season. He wonders if this is going to be Ovechkin’s last ride as an NHL player. Gulitti said, “Alex Ovechkin said he will “probably” wait until after the season to decide whether this will be his last in the NHL. The 40-year-old Capitals captain is in the final season of his contract, though, so this could be his last opportunity to get in the playoffs and make a run. He also has time to make more history.
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With 996 total goals — an NHL-record 919 in the regular season and 77 in the playoffs — Ovechkin is four away from joining Wayne Gretzky (1,016) as the only players in League history with 1,000 combined goals. His 752 regular-season assists also leave him 11 away from breaking Nicklas Backstrom‘s Capitals record of 762.”
There is no doubt that Ovechkin is going to wind up with over 30 goals when the 2025-26 season comes to an end. If this is the final 23 games of his NHL career with Washington, Capitals fans will need to appreciate these final moments seeing him on the ice.
He started his NHL career in 2005-06. It is amazing that his NHL career potentially has gone in a blink of an eye. Ovechkin is probably the greatest goal scorer of all-time.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Other Sports section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.