Alexander Ovechkin reveals when he will make decision on Capitals, NHL future

Washington Capitals superstar captain Alexander Ovechkin may be in the final days of the five-year, $47.5M contract he signed with Washington in 2021. 

While the Capitals are still alive in the battle for a playoff spot, he may play the last contest of his existing deal on April 14. During a chat with team broadcaster John Walton that was shared on Wednesday, Ovechkin revealed when he will decide his playing future. 

Alexander Ovechkin still has a love for playing, but...

"When you love something, you do it with heart," Ovechkin explained, per Tom Gulitti of the NHL's website. "Obviously, I love playing hockey, I love scoring goals. … We’re going to make a decision in the summer. I have to talk to my family, with Ted (Capitals owner Ted Leonsis), (general manager Chris Patrick), (president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan). I have to make a decision in the summer." 

The Capitals ended Wednesday's NHL action trailing the Philadelphia Flyers by three points for third place in the Metropolitan Division standings. Washington also began Wednesday trailing the Ottawa Senators by three points for the conference's final wild-card playoff berth. 

ESPN stats show that Ovechkin, the NHL's all-time leader in career goals scored, leads the 2025-26 Capitals with 31 goals and 61 total points accumulated for the season. Such numbers show that the 40-year-old can still offer plenty to an advertised contender, but that doesn't mean that Ovechkin could go ring-hunting and sign with a different NHL club this summer. 

What could Alexander Ovechkin decide to do? 

As Sean Gentille of The Athletic noted, Ovechkin is expected to either sign a short-term contract with the Capitals, retire or finish his playing career with Dynamo Moscow of the KHL. Ovechkin previously featured for Dynamo before the Capitals made him the No. 1 overall pick of the 2004 NHL entry draft.

"Health-wise, I’m going to be 41 in September, so you just have to be smart about it," Ovechkin added about possibly playing for another campaign. 

It sounds like there is at least a chance that Washington's final four games of the regular season could be Ovechkin's last as an active NHL player. The 40-30-9 Capitals beat the Toronto Maple Leafs (32-32-14) on Wednesday night. The Caps have three games remaining — two against the Pittsburgh Penguins (40-22-16) and a third against the Columbus Blue Jackets (39-27-12). Columbus has a one-point advantage over Washington in the wild-card race.