Ovechkin undecided if '25-26 will be swan song

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Washington Capitals prima Alex Ovechkin said helium hasn't decided if 2025-26 volition beryllium his last NHL season.

"I don't cognize if this is going to beryllium the last. We'll see," Ovechkin said Thursday astatine the commencement of Capitals grooming camp.

Ovechkin, 40, became the NHL's all-time starring extremity scorer past season, passing Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky (894) and finishing with 897 vocation goals.

The Capitals skipper eased concerns that helium was slowing down with 44 goals successful a play that saw him miss 16 games with a breached leg. He is an unrestricted escaped cause aft this season, his 21st successful the League.

Ovechkin said he's yet to sermon his aboriginal with wide manager Chris Patrick and president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan.

"I conscionable came backmost [locally] astir a week ago," helium said. "I'm beauteous definite we person tons of clip to talk."

Patrick said the Capitals don't presently person a consciousness of what Ovechkin is reasoning regarding his future.

"I privation him to person the abstraction to person this play spell however helium wants it to go," Patrick said. "If helium wants to talk, we'll talk. If not, we'll fig it retired later."

The 2025-26 play has Ovechkin successful scope of a fewer NHL records and idiosyncratic milestones, opening with the accidental to go to the archetypal subordinate to ever people 900 goals.

"I'm excited for 900. That volition beryllium truly neat to see," Patrick said. "I'm conscionable astatine a constituent wherever each clip I spot him play, I'm conscionable appreciating it, due to the fact that he's 40 years old. We're not going to person this forever. To get to witnesser it each nighttime is simply a treat."

While Ovechkin caught Gretzky successful the regular season, helium trails The Great One by 42 for the astir goals scored betwixt the regular play and Stanley Cup playoffs combined. Gretzky has 1,016, portion Ovechkin's combined 49 goals past play gave him 974 for his career.

Ovechkin volition besides person a accidental to acceptable a grounds for astir goals scored by a 40-year-old player. Gordie Howe holds that people with 44 tallies successful the 1968-69 season. From a idiosyncratic standpoint, Ovechkin is conscionable 9 games distant from 1,500 successful his career, a benchmark that lone 22 different players successful NHL past person reached.

While there's inactive past to beryllium made, Ovechkin said helium welcomes a play without thing similar the Gretzky goals grounds pursuit overshadowing everything else.

"You conscionable get bushed to perceive erstwhile it's going to happen, however you're going to bash it," helium said. "Right now, we conscionable focusing connected the antithetic things."

Defenseman John Carlson, who besides doesn't person a declaration beyond this season, said it's been "a hellhole of a ride" with Ovechkin, whether oregon not this is his last season.

"I'm not going to get excessively nostalgic excessively aboriginal here, connected Day 1 astatine camp," Carlson said. "But, yeah, it's been truly chill to play with 1 of the game's greats, and present the starring extremity scorer of all-time. Those are insane things that you tin bespeak on. Pretty peculiar times."