Washington Capitals general manager Chris Patrick has provided the latest update on the playing status of Alex Ovechkin for 2026-27.
Ovechkin’s contract with the Capitals — the only NHL franchise he’s ever known in the NHL since he was drafted first overall in 2004 — expired at the conclusion of this past season.
He is now an unrestricted free agent, free to field offers from any team in the league, but if he does play again for his 22nd NHL season, it’s expected he will play with the Capitals in a year where he will turn 41 years old.
Will he play again? The Capitals don’t know yet. But if he chooses to come back, the franchise will create the cap room to make it happen.
Chris Patrick Provides Update on Alex Ovechkin
Speaking to ESPN after the first day of NHL free agency on July 1, the Capitals’ GM Patrick provided the latest update on where the team stands with Ovechkin.
“He hasn’t made a decision yet. I think part of it was seeing where we are after today and that we’re trying to do as much as we can to improve the team,” Patrick said.
The Capitals were busy as NHL free agency opened up, signing veteran center Boone Jenner and big defenseman Vincent Desharnais to four-year contracts each, while also giving one year each to Justin Holl, Jonny Brodzinski, and Josh Dunn.
Much of Patrick’s heavy lifting took place last week, when the Capitals picked up a pair of stud forwards, Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch, via trade.
Patrick believes that all of these moves could be what it takes for Ovechkin to see the team is trying to win and capture its second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
While these moves have cost cap room and leave the Capitals with minimal money to spend, Patrick suggested the team could give a 35+ contract to Ovechkin with bonuses to get him the money he needs to return for another season.
“I think we can do something that would work for Alex based on conversations we had with him prior to him leaving. There are ways to get him the money that he needs because of his age and the kind of contracts you can do,” Patrick said.
Alex Ovechkin is a Hockey Legend
Ovechkin is, quite simply, one of the greatest hockey players of all time.
He has played 1,573 games in the NHL, scoring a league-record 929 goals with 1,687 total points. He also led the Capitals to the franchise’s only Stanley Cup win in 2018.
The Russian has been named the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP three times, he has won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal scorer nine times, and last year, he became the first player in NHL history to top the 900-goal mark, beating Wayne Gretzky’s previous record of 894.
Currently sitting at 929 goals, Ovechkin can continue to beef up his goals record if he plays another season, and if he plays two more years, he could potentially break the 1,000-goal barrier.
Capitals GM Provides Critical Update on Alex Ovechkin