Ovechkin returning for 22nd season with Capitals

Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's career leader in goals, has decided to return for the 2026-27 season, his 22nd with the Washington Capitals. The Capitals announced Thursday that Ovechkin has signed a one-year contract with an AAV of $4.25 million. Ovechkin -- who led the Capitals to the Stanley Cup in 2018 -- announced he would decide on his future this offseason after consulting with his family and the Capitals. He was in the final season of his contract which carried a $9.5 million cap hit. Ovechkin's new deal carries a $1 million base salary and a $3.25 million signing bonus. However, he will earn an additional $4.75 million bonus if he plays at least 10 games, which would increase his total salary to $9 million. Ovechkin, 40, had indicated he was hoping to keep playing, but he also said Washington's outlook next season could factor into his decision. This past season Ovechkin had 32 goals and 32 assists, playing all 82 games for the Capitals in his 21st NHL season. He finished the season with 929 career goals in 1,573 games, having passed Wayne Gretzky last year for the most regular-season goals in NHL history. Ovechkin's NHL debut came on Oct. 5, 2005, against Columbus where he scored the first two of his record-setting 929 goals. Ovechkin had also previously left open the possibility he could play in the Russian KHL. He spent parts of five seasons with Moscow Dynamo, four before he arrived in the NHL and one during a 2012 work stoppage. Washington finished two points shy of a playoff spot this season, the fifth time it has failed to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs since Ovechkin was the top pick in 2004.