Alexander Ovechkin isn’t done. The Washington Capitals star has signed a one-year deal worth up to $9 million, setting him up for a 22nd NHL season.
The contract carries a $4.25 million cap hit, with the chance for Ovechkin to earn another $4.75 million bonus if he plays in 10 games next season.
At 40, Ovechkin is still adding to a career that already sits among the most decorated in league history. He passed Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record in 2024-25 and now has 929 goals and 1,687 points in 1,573 games over 21 seasons.
He also stayed productive last season, putting up 32 goals and 64 points in 82 games for Washington.
The new deal comes after a five-year, $47.5 million contract that had a $9.5 million annual cap hit.
Ovechkin has been the face of the Capitals since they took him first overall in the 2004 draft, and the list of team and individual hardware around him is long. He helped Washington win 10 division titles, three Presidents’ Trophies and the Stanley Cup in 2018.
That same postseason, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy after scoring 15 goals and 27 points in 24 games.
His trophy case also includes three Hart Trophies and three Ted Lindsay Awards, all won in 2008, 2009 and 2013, plus nine Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophies as the NHL’s top goal scorer. He won the Art Ross Trophy in 2008, the Calder Trophy in 2006 and was recognized as the Mark Messier Leadership Award winner in 2025.
In 2017, he was named one of the NHL’s all-time top 100 players during the league’s centennial celebration.
Ovechkin’s international resume is just as stacked. The Moscow, Russia native played in three Winter Olympics, finishing fourth in 2006, sixth in 2010 and fifth in 2014. He also appeared in 13 World Championships for Russia, winning gold in 2008, 2012 and 2014, silver in 2010 and 2015, and bronze in 2005, 2007, 2015 and 2019.
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The financial terms reflect both his status and the teams willingness to keep the door open as long as he can still impact games. The contract includes bonuses tied to appearances, a structure that gives the Capitals some flexibility while leaving plenty of intrigue around how Ovechkin will be used and what his role will look like as he approaches yet another milestone season in Washington. [Read more 🡒]