Capitals' Alex Ovechkin Reveals Post NHL Plans

When Alex Ovechkin finishes his NHL career, the Washington Capitals legend is already making plans for his next steps.

Apr 5, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) looks on during the warmups before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports / James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Ovechkin has been a leader for the Washington Capitals since his NHL debut in 2005. Nearly 20 years later, Ovechkin is still humming at a Hall of Fame-worthy pace.

As one of the sport’s best all-time players closes in on history, approaching the all-time goals record, questions are starting to be asked about what the future holds for Ovechkin. Soon to be 39 years old, there aren’t many miles left in Ovechkin’s tank.

Ovechkin has two years remaining on his NHL deal with the Capitals, but once that’s up, he hopes to turn his focus to the KHL in his native Russia.

“I still have two years left on my NHL contract,” Ovechkin said to rsport.ru. “Of course, I want to play my last game for Dynamo, where I started my career. But there's no point in raising this topic right now.”

Before being selected first overall in the 2004 NHL Draft, Ovechkin played three seasons with his hometown team, Moscow Dynamo. He continued to suit up for Moscow after the draft, thanks to the full-season lockout in 2004-05.

In his four seasons in Russia, Ovechkin scored 36 goals and 33 assists for 69 total points. Sure, that doesn’t sound like much, especially for Ovechkin’s standards, but he was under 18, and the KHL isn’t known as a high-scoring league.

When he returned for 31 games during the 2012-12 partial lockout, Ovechkin notched 19 goals and 21 assists, which is more on track with his usual level of offense.

Ovechkin’s NHL career is still far from over, and he has one of the biggest records in his sights. He is only 41 goals away from breaking the NHL’s all-time goals record, held by Wayne Gretzky at 894.

Of course, Ovechkin and the Capitals would also like to add to their legacy of success with another Stanley Cup. Whether they can win the Cup one more time in the next two years is questionable, but the goals record seems almost inevitable.

When it’s all said and done for Ovechkin in the NHL, he hopes to have enough left in the tank to return home and still play.

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