The Washington Capitals will see Alex Ovechkin back in the United States in the coming weeks, as he'll return to D.C. to continue preparing for training camp and the upcoming 2026-27 campaign.
Ovechkin's agent Gleb Chistyakov told TASS on Thursday that he'll travel back to the U.S. in early September. He has been in Russia with his family while training for the upcoming season.
The Capitals captain had not known going into the summer if he would continue his career, but after consulting his family and evaluating his future and health, signed a one-year extension a day after free agency started.
"It was very emotional moment for me... it means a lot that people want me coming back, people want to see me," Ovechkin said. "It was very emotional and that's very important for me as well."
Ovechkin, who turns 41 on Sept. 17, is coming off yet another 30-goal campaign, where he also led Washington in scoring with 64 points while appearing in all 82 games last season.
Coming into this year, Ovechkin is expected to play a key role on a deep Capitals team that added a handful of names, including Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, Boone Jenner and Vincent Desharnais.
Still, he wants to show he can still contribute and help the new-look roster work toward a Stanley Cup.
"When you look at our roster, it's Stanley Cup contender... I know I can still play and bring energy to the locker room, energy on the ice and give what I can give," Ovechkin said.
The NHL's all-time leading goal scorer also sits 11 away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the most combined goals in NHL history, and he's 71 away from 1,000 regular-season goals.
That said, Ovechkin isn't getting too far ahead of himself and is focused on this year. After that, he'll see what the rest of the future holds — after all, he didn't rule out another year after this one.
