Austin Konenski
Alex Ovechkin could be in the final days of his NHL career. Following the 2025-26 NHL season, Ovechkin is set to become an unrestricted free agent; however, no one expects him to leave the Washington Capitals. Instead, the 40-year-old forward has to decide on retirement, and one NHL insider has provided an update on a possible scenario.
Ovechkin has never been interested in a “farewell tour,” and likes how NHL legend Wayne Gretzky announced his retirement two days before his last regular-season game, as reported by Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos. This would be the perfect way for Ovechkin to retire, giving fans one to two more games while knowing his plans.
Last season, Ovechkin passed Gretzky to officially become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. The Capitals forward now has 928 goals after scoring 31 times through 75 games this season. There is still time for Ovechkin to add to that total, but the milestone of 1,000 regular-season goals seems unlikely.
If Ovechkin wants to reach 1,000 goals, he would likely have to play at least two more seasons if he keeps up a 30-goal pace. At 40 years old, it would be a grind for Ovechkin to stay on the ice for 84 games per season moving forward. After all, he only has 59 points, which would be his lowest in a 60-plus game season in his career.
Ovechkin is an NHL legend and no one will blame him if he hangs up the skates after Washington’s final game this season. The end of his contract has always been a natural retirement point, but he hasn’t made it official. Instead, Ovechkin could wait until the final days of the regular season to announce his plans.
Or, Ovechkin could return for another season.
Read More: Alex Ovechkin Reaches 900 Career Goals
