Significant pause: Ovechkin reflects on continuing his career in the NHL

Alexander Ovechkin has only ten goals left before another historic achievement by Wayne Gretzky, but the question of continuing the Russian hockey player's career in the NHL remains open. The Washington captain's contract is coming to an end, and the forward intends to make a final decision on the future after the free agent market opens. Why the legendary sniper is in no hurry to put an end to it and what factors can influence his choice is in the Izvestia article.

The restructuring of Washington and the uncertainty of the future

Ovi's future remains the central theme of this NHL offseason. The current agreement between the 40-year-old Russian striker and Washington expires on June 30, but the hockey player himself is not ready to announce his plans yet. The final decision, as the forward has repeatedly stressed, will be made after the free agent market opens on July 1.

It is by this date that the Capitals management should form an updated squad, and then the vector of the team's development will become clear. Ovechkin himself said at an event in Moscow in late spring that he was not considering a transfer to another NHL club. At the same time, among the key factors that will influence his decision to pursue a career, he named sports prospects, health status and the opinion of his family.

Washington finished the regular season of the 2024/25 season in first place in the Eastern Conference. However, in the playoffs, the team could not confirm the status of one of the favorites and was eliminated in the second round, losing to Carolina in six matches. The failure forced the club's management to think about serious changes.

The restructuring began during the season. On deadline, the Capitals parted ways with several experienced players who had defined the face of the team for many years. The club traded one of the leaders of the defense, John Carlson, who played for Washington since 2009, as well as forward Nick Dowd, who defended the colors of the capital club since 2018. Along with them, other veterans who had been part of the core of the team over the past seasons also left the team.

For Ovechkin, these decisions were an emotional blow. Immediately after the exchanges, he did not hide his feelings and called that day "probably the saddest in his career personally." During his 20 seasons at Washington, many of his teammates became close friends, not just teammates, and parting with them was not easy for the captain. Nevertheless, from a professional point of view, the renewal of the squad can open up new opportunities for the team.

Another season for history

Despite the loss of veterans, Ovechkin still has good reasons to pursue a career. One of them is the emergence of promising young hockey players who can become the new faces of the club in the foreseeable future.

Sportsnet columnist Elliott Friedman believes that two young hockey players from the Capitals system, 19—year-olds Cole Hutson and Ilya Protas, can influence the Russian forward's decision at once. According to the journalist, both have already managed to impress the club's management and coaching staff. Washington expects them to be an important part of the team in the future. For Ovechkin, the opportunity to play alongside a new generation of leaders and help him gain a foothold in the NHL may also be an additional argument in favor of another season.

The example of Evgeni Malkin may also be indicative for Ovechkin. The Pittsburgh forward, who was also sent to other teams more than once, eventually agreed with the club on a new one-year contract. According to North American media reports, his base salary will be $5.5 million, and including bonuses it may reach $9 million.

According to John Mathish, a columnist for The Hockey News, Washington is able to arrange a similar model. It allows you to keep a club legend in the squad without putting a serious burden on the payroll, leaving the management room for a targeted strengthening of the team.

Despite the fact that Ovechkin has already become the best sniper in the history of the NHL regular season, surpassing the achievement of Wayne Gretzky (894 goals) in March 2025, another historical milestone is still out of reach for him. We are talking about Gretzky's record for the total number of goals, including playoff matches.

Ovechkin currently has 1,006 goals scored in NHL games, including the playoffs, while Gretzky has 1,016. Thus, the Russian striker lacks only ten goals to become the sole record holder in this indicator. For a hockey player who has been chasing sniper achievements throughout his career, this milestone looks more than achievable in one full season, provided he remains fit and healthy.

There are practically no financial obstacles to signing a new contract between the parties. According to North American publications, Washington has more than $31.4 million of available funds at its disposal under the salary cap. Ovechkin's next contract can be executed according to a scheme similar to the Malkin agreement: the base part is about $6 million per season, plus additional bonuses of up to $3 million if certain indicators are achieved.

At the same time, the club's management will have to solve a difficult task. On the one hand, it is necessary to adequately reward the main star, paying tribute to his merits. On the other hand, it is necessary to maintain the flexibility of the payroll in order to acquire new players in the free agent market and strengthen problematic positions in the squad.

Scripts for Ovechkin

At the end of May, Barry Svrluga, a North American insider and former journalist for The Athletic and The Washington Post, outlined two of the most likely scenarios for the development of events around Ovechkin. The first one involves signing a new one-year contract and holding a farewell season in the NHL. In this case, the Russian veteran will have the opportunity to officially say goodbye to the fans, and the club will be able to honor its legend.

The second scenario, according to Svrluga, assumes the end of his career this summer, before the striker turns 41 on September 17. This option looks less likely, given the proximity of the historical record and Ovechkin's good physical condition, but it cannot be completely ruled out: the hockey player has repeatedly stressed that he does not intend to play for the sake of statistics to the detriment of the team's results.

While waiting for the captain's decision, they remain calm not only in Washington, but also in the league itself. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daley said in an interview with Sport-Express that the organization would support any choice of a Russian hockey player.: "I would like Alex to decide for himself what is best for him. We will support any decision he makes for himself and his family."

Ovechkin himself remains intrigued and does not make public statements, preferring to focus on rest and recovery after a difficult season. The denouement of this story is expected in July. That's when it will finally become clear whether Ovechkin's fans will see him in his 22nd season in the strongest league in the world and whether one of the brightest careers in the history of world hockey will receive another, perhaps final chapter.