Alex Ovechkin reportedly to return to NHL next season

We may know what the future holds for Alex Ovechkin.

The Washington Capitals superstar has stated that he's not sure if he wants to retire or continue his NHL career. His contract with the Capitals is up and he is taking his time this offseason to discuss his future with his family.

“We're giving him some time here to get away from the season a little bit and think things through and talk to his family," Capitals GM Chris Patrick told the media last month. "We'll continue to support him in however his decision process plays out. We'll be able to have a plan with or without him.”

Patrick then threw out the date of the 2026 NHL Draft on June 26th as a soft deadline for a decision.

“Ideally, we would know going into the draft, but again, I think he’s earned the right to do the process how he wants to, and so we’ll just work with whatever we get from him, information-wise," Patrick said. “We're in a window where we're trying to win," Patrick said. "We have a good team here, and we're hoping to add pieces. We're in a good spot cap-wise going into this offseason to have flexibility to do different things," Patrick said.

Indeed, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has echoed Patrick's sentiment and has even confirmed that Ovechkin has been in touch with the team to discuss personnel decisions.

“He’s met with Chris; he’s met with Mac,” Leonsis told Barry Svrluga of The Athletic. “He’s asked: ‘How can we have a great team? What do we need to do? What are we gonna do in the draft? What are we going to do with trades? What are we doing in free agency?’ I think that’s all gonna come as part of his mix. He’s being very thoughtful.”

Today, Barry Svrluga of The Athletic reports that there's a belief that Ovechkin will return to the Capitals on a one year deal.

From Svrluga:

Let’s be clear: No one is talking about a two-year deal. This would be for 2026-27 — and Ovechkin would have to deal with the inevitable tributes from every other franchise along the way.

Ovechkin also gained energy from playing with youngsters Ilya Protas and Cole Hutson late in the season. The center and defenseman — who will both be 20 at the start of next season — figure to play prominent roles on a team that wants to get younger and faster.

He still puts the puck in the back of the net, he doesn’t want to go out without one last playoff push and there are some young pieces around him who might put passes right on his tape.

All that's left to do is to hand him a blank contract and get a signature. Make it happen... then let's worry about doing it again every year until the sun explodes lol