{"id":189256,"date":"2025-09-11T20:22:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T20:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/189256\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T20:22:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T20:22:20","slug":"alex-ovechkin-set-to-return-for-21st-nhl-season-can-the-capitals-goat-break-more-records-at-40-nhl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/189256\/","title":{"rendered":"Alex Ovechkin set to return for 21st NHL season \u2014 Can the Capitals’ GOAT break more records at 40? | NHL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AlexAlex Ovechkin returns for his 21st NHL season with Capitals (Image via: Getty Images) After two decades of electrifying hockey fans worldwide, Alex Ovechkin is gearing up for his 21st NHL season and he\u2019s doing it with the Washington Capitals once again. The 39-year-old superstar, who recently shattered Wayne Gretzky\u2019s all-time NHL goal record, shows no signs of slowing down. As he prepares to lace up for another campaign, the hockey world is buzzing: what can we expect from Ovechkin\u2019s next chapter, and how much longer will the Capitals\u2019 iconic captain keep chasing glory?<\/p>\n

Alex Ovechkin\u2019s 21st NHL season: The next chapter in an epic legacy<\/p>\n

Alex Ovechkin\u2019s return to the Capitals for a 21st NHL season cements his status as one of the most enduring and prolific goal scorers in hockey history. Signed through the final year of his current five-year, $47.5 million contract, Ovechkin remains an essential figure for Washington. Despite facing injuries, including a fractured fibula last season, he still managed to net 44 goals, tying Gordie Howe for the most goals in a season by a player aged 39 or older.The Capitals\u2019 recent season was historic in many ways. Ovechkin led the team to a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference, a massive leap from their previous wild-card status. Although the playoff run ended in disappointment against the Carolina Hurricanes, Ovechkin\u2019s leadership and relentless scoring ability remained evident throughout.<\/p>\n

Will Alex Ovechkin\u2019s 21st season be his last or his greatest?<\/p>\n

Alex Ovechkin: The Greatest NHL Goal Scorer Of All Time<\/p>\n

As he approaches his 40th birthday, Ovechkin\u2019s future remains an open question. \u201cTo be honest with you, I haven\u2019t thought about it yet. Obviously, I\u2019m going to try to do my best to be able to do well next year and we\u2019ll see,\u201d he admitted when asked if he would play beyond this contract. His teammates and coaches, however, are confident he can continue to perform at an elite level, with some even envisioning Ovechkin hitting the 50-goal mark next season, a feat that would break another NHL record.Also Read: Jonathan Toews comeback rumors ignite NHL debate- Should legends decide when to walk away?<\/a>Whether this will be the final NHL chapter for Ovechkin or just another milestone in his extraordinary career, the Washington Capitals will once again rely heavily on their captain to chase new heights and chase that elusive second Stanley Cup. Fans everywhere will be watching closely as Ovechkin continues to defy age and expectations in his 21st season.
Get IPL 2025<\/a> match schedules<\/a>, squads<\/a>, points table<\/a>, and live scores for CSK<\/a>, MI<\/a>, RCB<\/a>, KKR<\/a>, SRH<\/a>, LSG<\/a>, DC<\/a>, GT<\/a>, PBKS<\/a>, and RR<\/a>. Check the latest IPL Orange Cap<\/a> and Purple Cap<\/a> standings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alex Ovechkin returns for his 21st NHL season with Capitals (Image via: Getty Images) After two decades of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":189257,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5114],"tags":[32452,426,191,5,4,14209,421,14,190,109,5222],"class_list":{"0":"post-189256","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-washington-capitals","8":"tag-21st-nhl-season","9":"tag-alex-ovechkin","10":"tag-capitals","11":"tag-hockey","12":"tag-nhl","13":"tag-nhl-records","14":"tag-ovechkin","15":"tag-stanley-cup","16":"tag-washington","17":"tag-washington-capitals","18":"tag-washingtoncapitals"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115187531405384361","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}