Now that the Washington Capitals’ season has come to a premature end, all eyes are on veteran star Alex Ovechkin and his immediate future.
Washington lost 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series on Thursday, May 15. The Hurricanes won the series 4-1 and have advanced to the Eastern Conference Final, where they will face either the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Florida Panthers.
Particulars of Alexander Ovechkin’s Contract Situation Explored
“The Great 8,” as the Russian star is known, just finished his 20th NHL season. He has another year left on the $47.50-million contract he signed in 2021.
In April 2025, after breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL scoring record, Ovechkin had positively stated that he would not be retiring this summer and would play out the final season on his contract.
The Russian winger also told NHL.com’s Wes Crosby that he was “not retiring.” It remains to be seen whether the Capitals’ playoff exit will have an impact on his plans.
Alex Ovechkin was asked if it was important to go against Sidney Crosby one more time: "I'm not retiring, so."
— Wes Crosby (@OtherNHLCrosby)
Ovechkin spoke to the media about the Capitals’ early exit on Thursday.
Washington is yet to make it past the second round of the playoffs since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018.
“Yeah, it’s tough obviously,” Ovechkin said via NHL.com. “We have a special group but obviously we have our chances. Maybe we don’t execute, maybe luck was not on our side because I don’t think we played bad hockey. I think we have lots of great chances to get the lead, but it’s tough.”
Speaking to the media after Thursday’s loss, Washington head coach Spencer Carbery shed some light on whether Ovechkin would play in the NHL next season. The Russian player scored only one goal in five games against the Hurricanes.
“I know this series, the stats won’t be flattering,” Carbery said about Ovechkin’s play. “I thought ‘O’ was great in the playoffs. My understanding is he’s under contract. So he’ll be back next year.”
The Capitals finished the regular season on top of the Eastern Conference with 111 points and a 51-22-9 record.
Ovechkin, meanwhile, has played 1,489 regular-season games across 20 seasons, all of them with Washington. The Russian star’s successful quest to overhaul Gretzky’s goal tally was the high point of the season for the franchise.
Ovechkin has been the team’s top goal scorer every season of his career, and has the franchise record for most goals scored in a single season (65) as well.
His lack of form in the second-round series meant that the Capitals struggled to replicate their regular-season offensive power against the Hurricanes, managing only seven goals in five games.
