Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin drops truth bomb on NHL future

The Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin is one of the greatest NHL players of all time. When discussing his NHL future, Ovechkin dropped the truth when discussing potential retirement or whether he will return to Washington, according to a conversation between Ovechkin and NHL beat writer Tom Gulitti.

“No, I don’t know yet. We have to make a decision. We have to talk with the family, with (Capitals owner) Ted (Leonsis), [general manager Chris Patrick], and then we’ll see,” Ovechkin told Gulitti.

Ovechkin likely won’t make a decision until the end of the season. Currently, the Caps are currently 29-23-7, and four points behind the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference wildcard race. Ovechkin continues to set records and help the Capitals make a playoff push. Therefore, any questions about his retirement are currently on the back burner.

As the NHL is still on a break for the Olympics, Ovechkin is also on break, as Russia was not invited to the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Capitals’ first game out of the break will be against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Ovechkin is currently second on the team, only behind Tom Wilson, with 22 goals and 26 assists. Although he has not scored a goal in five games, he still has found ways to help the Capitals win.

“We have ups and downs. It’s not about me. You see, everybody was maybe a little struggling because last year, we scored like five, six goals in a game, and it was easy,” Ovechkin noted.

The Caps have had the same success, ranking 12th in the NHL in goals. Additionally, they are just 26th in power play, which is incredibly rare for them, especially since “The Great 8” has been part of many successful Caps’ teams with a strong power play. Although retirement is on the back burner for now, it is something that might rear its head back up, especially as the season creeps closer to the end.