Alex Ovechkin Says He's 'Not Retiring,' to Return for Final Year of Capitals Contract

Alex Ovechkin said he plans to return at least one more season after setting the all-time NHL goalscoring record during his 20th campaign with the Washington Capitals.

When asked if it was important to match up with Sidney Crosby one more time during Thursday night's regular season finale against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ovechkin answered: "I'm not retiring, so."

Ovechkin, who will turn 40 ahead of the 2025-26 season, is signed for one more year with the Capitals.

After inking a 13-year, $124 million deal with the Caps in 2008, Ovechkin signed another five-year, $47.5 million contract in 2021. He is currently set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2026.

Despite spending a month of his age-39 campaign sidelined with a broken leg, Ovechkin surpassed Wayne Gretzky's record for the most goals in regular-season league history by scoring his 896th against the New York Islanders on April 6.

When asked Monday on the Pat McAfee Show how much longer he thinks he can play, Ovechkin answered, "Well, I have one more year."

"We'll see what's going to happen. I'll be honest with you, I love the team, I love being around the boys, and as long as I can, I will try to stick around and put my 'great body', how you said, in the NHL," Ovechkin told McAfee.

The Capitals are gearing up for a first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens, who clinched the last playoff spot with a Game 82 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The puck drops for Game 1 on Monday night in Washington D.C.

Before then, Ovechkin and the Caps will close out the regular season against their perennial rivals, who have already been eliminated from playoff contention despite Crosby's 20th straight point-per-game campaign.

"When we came into the league… it was a different system, different style of game," Ovechkin said about Crosby on Thursday (h/t Penguins team reporter Michelle Crechiolo.) "Two decades, we kind of transform ourselves to stay at the same level, and show that yeah, we're pretty good players."

Ovechkin's 20th regular season will wrap up Thursday night with a 7 p.m. ET puck drop against the Penguins.