With the lights turned down at Capital One Arena, the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 3-1, effectively ending their playoff run in Game 5.
Not many fans expected the Caps to lose the way they did, having built a team with a mix of veterans and young players that brought them 111 points and a strong season. But right after the team left, the one question on everyone’s minds was – Will Alexander Ovechkin retire?
Will Alexander Ovechkin Retire?
With just one goal against Carolina, some began to question whether Father Time was catching up to the Russian superstar.
However, any conversation about retirement was stopped dead in its tracks by the head coach and by Ovechkin himself.
“My understanding is he’s under contract. So he’ll be back next year,” Carbery said to clear things up. He also clarified that, despite the small number of Carolina games, Ovechkin still had an important influence during the playoffs.
“I know this series, the stats won’t be flattering,” Carbery said on Ovechkin. “I thought ‘O’ was great in the playoffs.”
"My understanding is that he's under contract so he'll be back next year."
Spencer Carbery comments on Alex Ovechkin's future, and follows it up with praise for his performance this season. pic.twitter.com/0KDZQkpVqS
— BarDown (@BarDown)
And Carbery isn’t just speculating. Ovechkin will play with the Capitals through 2025–26 under the terms of the five-year contract he signed in 2021 for $47.5 million. He is tied to the team for at least this coming season. They then have the option to go back to the drawing board if next season doesn’t pan out.
Ovechkin also cleared up the retirement rumors when he spoke to The Pat McAfee Show.
“I’m not retiring. I have one more year, and we’ll see what’s gonna happen,” he said with conviction.
Though his scoring decreased in the Carolina series, Ovechkin still managed to score five goals throughout the playoffs, most of them being scored in the first round against Montreal. The fire is still ablaze.
The 2024–25 season looked like it could be a great playoff year for Washington. The Capitals ended the regular season first in the Eastern Conference with 111 points, thanks to their mix of experienced players and some strong young talent coming through.
There was hope. There was a belief. But Game 5 put an end to all of that.
Strong Capitals Season Ends in Sudden Heartbreak
In a close game, Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov was the one to score the goal that gave his team the win with only 1:59 left in the game. The goal was scored after a quick play down the wing, with Sean Walker making a good pass to put Svechnikov in a good position.
Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson blamed himself for the loss, saying in the postgame interview that he had temporarily lost track of the puck and it got by him. “That’s on me,” he said.
What Comes Next for Ovechkin’s Capitals?
Despite how the playoffs ended, the Capitals made a lot of good memories and should feel proud of how they played this season. A first-place finish in their division, a team that works well together, and being able to make it to the playoffs – all signs point towards a bright future when looking at 2026.
Their immediate need will be to sort things out in the 2025 NHL Draft. While it will be difficult to bank on a rookie to give them some impetus, the Capitals can take some heart in the fact that there aren’t too many glaring weaknesses in this squad. A little tinker here and a little tinker there, and they will be right back in contention if Chris Patrick plays his cards right.
