ARLINGTON, Va. — Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin stated he hasn’t determined whether or not 2025-26 will likely be his ultimate NHL season.
“I do not know if that is going to be the final. We’ll see,” Ovechkin stated Thursday firstly of Capitals coaching camp.
Ovechkin, 40, turned the NHL’s main profession objective scorer final season, passing Corridor of Famer Wayne Gretzky (894) and ending with 897 profession objectives.
The Capitals captain eased issues that he was slowing down with 44 objectives in a season that noticed him miss 16 video games with a damaged leg. He’s an unrestricted free agent after this season, his twenty first within the league.
Ovechkin stated he has but to debate his future with common supervisor Chris Patrick and president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan.
“I simply got here again [locally] nearly every week in the past,” he stated. “I am fairly certain we’ve got a lot of time to speak.”
Patrick stated the Capitals do not at the moment have a way of what Ovechkin is pondering concerning his future.
“I would like him to have the area to have this season go how he desires it to go,” Patrick stated. “If he desires to speak, we’ll discuss. If not, we’ll determine it out later.”
The 2025-26 season has Ovechkin in vary of some extra NHL information and private milestones, starting with the possibility to turn into to the primary participant to attain 900 objectives.
“I am excited for 900. That will likely be actually neat to see,” Patrick stated. “I am simply at a degree the place each time I see him play, I am simply appreciating it, as a result of he is 40 years previous. We’re not going to have this perpetually. To get to witness it each night time is a deal with.”
Though Ovechkin caught Gretzky within the common season, he trails The Nice One by 42 for probably the most objectives scored between the common season and Stanley Cup playoffs mixed. Gretzky has 1,016, whereas Ovechkin’s mixed 49 objectives final season gave him 974 for his profession.
Ovechkin can even have an opportunity to set a report for many objectives scored by a 40-year-old participant. Gordie Howe holds that mark with 44 tallies within the 1968-69 season. From a private standpoint, Ovechkin is simply 9 video games from 1,500 in his profession, a benchmark solely 22 gamers in NHL historical past have reached.
Whereas there’s nonetheless historical past to be made, Ovechkin stated he welcomes a season with out one thing just like the Gretzky objectives report chase overshadowing all the things else.
“You simply get drained to listen to when it will occur, how you are going to do it,” he stated. “Proper now, we simply specializing in the various things.”
Defenseman John Carlson, who additionally does not have a contract past this season, stated it has been “a hell of a experience” with Ovechkin, whether or not or not that is his ultimate season.
“I am not going to get too nostalgic too early right here, on Day 1 at camp,” Carlson stated. “However, yeah, it has been actually cool to play with one of many sport’s greats, and now the main objective scorer of all time. These are insane issues that you may replicate on. Fairly particular occasions.”