We shouldn’t take these moments for granted.
We’ve seen Alexander Ovechkin square off against Sidney Crosby too many times to count. In the playoffs, at the Olympics, outdoors, as rookies, as veterans and everything in between. It’s been heated, it’s been cordial, it’s been historic and it’s been special. And it could very well be for the final time this weekend.
The Washington Capitals are set to meet the Pittsburgh Penguins in a home-and-home set on Saturday and Sunday with a different narrative surrounding the games — uncertainty. Pittsburgh is headed for the playoffs and Crosby still has a few more chapters to write in his story, but Ovechkin is ending this season on a cliffhanger. The league’s greatest scorer isn’t signed beyond this year and announced this week that he won’t be deciding on his future until the summer.
Ovechkin has accomplished just about everything you can in hockey, including a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe, three Hart Trophies and scoring more regular-season goals than anyone in the history of the NHL. Is there anything left he still wants to accomplish?
The “Great 8” still has options, though. He doesn’t necessarily have to simply decide whether to return to the Caps or hang them up, as Ovechkin could potentially go down several different paths next season. Let’s examine four roads Ovechkin could embark on as this year wraps up and he heads into the off-season.
Retire
Perhaps the most obvious route for Ovechkin to take is retirement. The Capitals superstar will turn 41 in September and there are a lot of miles on his body. People often forget that in addition to the highlight-reel goals, Ovechkin is also a very physical player and has compiled more than 3,500 hits over his career. Even though he’s done a good job of mostly avoiding serious injury throughout his time in the NHL, make no mistake about it, those hits take a toll.
You can see it in Ovechkin’s game now, as he doesn’t play nearly as physical anymore and he’s certainly not moving at the speed that he once did. Ovechkin’s role and ice time have diminished over the past two seasons, as he’s averaged less than 18 minutes a night during those campaigns. Washington also starts him almost exclusively in the offensive zone at this point. Ovechkin is still very effective at what he does best and that’s unloading that patented one-timer from his off wing on the power play, but he’s no longer able to take over a game on his own.
Factor this in with all the aforementioned accomplishments Ovechkin has in his career, and he could decide that there’s nothing more left for him to do in the NHL with a team that is retooling and trying to get younger.
Re-sign with the Capitals
That said, there might be one more thing Ovechkin wants to check off his list before he calls it quits. The future Hall of Famer owns the regular-season all-time goal record, but Wayne Gretzky still has more goals when you combine the post-season. Gretzky has 1,016 goals combined over the regular season and playoffs, while Ovechkin is sitting at 1,005. One more season could easily see Ovechkin topple that mark and become the unquestionable NHL all-time goals leader.
Is there also a chance Ovechkin wants to try and get to 1,000 regular-season goals? That would be awfully ambitious, as he may need at least two more seasons to get there. Ovechkin currently sits at 928 and would need a couple of 30-plus goal campaigns to eclipse 1,000, something we shouldn’t put past him even at his age. This was Ovechkin’s 21st straight 30-goal campaign.
Maybe Ovechkin could be rejuvenated by this new-look Caps squad that has played much better over the past two years. Last season, Washington finished second in the NHL in points and while they’ll likely miss the playoffs this year, the Caps still have a plus goal differential and only four teams in the East have more regulation wins. Ovechkin may want one more run at playoff hockey before everything is all said and done.
Head to the KHL
If Ovechkin wants to continue playing, he doesn’t necessarily have to do so in the NHL.
He played four years with Dynamo Moscow before starting his NHL career and Ovechkin and his family spend their off-seasons in Russia. Ovechkin also hasn’t been shy about stating in the past he’d like to at least play a few more games in his home country. We’ve seen many former NHLers head over to Europe to finish their careers and even play for multiple seasons.
That includes former teammates like Evgeny Kuznetsov and Sergei Fedorov. Kuznetsov has played the past two seasons in Russia after spending 11 seasons in Washington and winning a Cup with Ovechkin. Even if he’s no longer in top form, Ovechkin would be a massive draw for a league like the KHL and would instantly improve its notoriety.
Nobody expects Ovechkin to play well into his 50s like Jaromir Jagr has after heading back to Czechia, but both players love the game immensely. You could see a world where Ovechkin is still having so much fun playing that he ends up continuing his career a little longer in the KHL.
Sign with another NHL team
It’s hard to imagine Ovechkin wearing anything other than a Capitals sweater, but stranger things have happened. Did anyone think we’d see Martin Brodeur playing for the St. Louis Blues? Or Brad Marchand leave Boston? What about Stamkos moving on from the Tampa Bay Lightning? As unlikely as it seems, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Ovechkin could choose to play elsewhere next season.
This would be entirely his choice, as the Capitals organization has made it known they will support whatever Ovechkin wants to do, although it’s clear Washington is trying to get younger. Seeing the Caps ship out longtime teammate and friend John Carlson around the trade deadline was probably a bit of a shock to Ovechkin. There aren’t many ties to the championship team around anymore as the organization is clearly trying to turn over its roster.
As effectively as the Capitals have re-tooled over the past couple of seasons and are starting to work in talented prospects like Ilya Protas and Cole Hutson, they still probably aren’t that close to being a Cup contender. One would think that if Ovechkin does come back for another season, a chance to win would be fairly high on his list. There would be a number of other teams around the league that are in a much better position to contend in 2026-27 than the Caps.
Even if Ovechkin isn’t the player he once was, he could still be very impactful in a lesser role with a stronger team. This summer’s free-agent class is very thin and there will be no shortage of teams looking for scoring. If Ovechkin is used selectively in an offensive role and on the man advantage, he could still easily provide 25-30 goals in the right situation on a contending team. Not to mention that he could be a great mentor for young talent and help boost ticket sales.
This is probably the most unlikely of scenarios, but never say never. Either way, Ovechkin has earned the right to close out his career any way he chooses, and the hockey world will be eagerly awaiting his decision.
