The Washington Capitals have put all of their chips on the table, the latest being the return of captain Alex Ovechkin.

Ovechkin is officially coming back for another run, signing a one-year contract with an AAV of $4.25 million, plus signing bonuses. He'd been mulling over his future the last couple of months, but quickly made the decision to play one more year following what have been an interesting past couple of weeks for the organization.

Starting off with the acquisitions of top-6 wingers Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch, general manager Chris Patrick kept busy as free agency started, signing Boone Jenner, Vincent Desharnais and some depth pieces to establish a new, deep foundation in D.C.

And with that, the Capitals have made a bold statement: they're all in.

Ovechkin, coming off a 32-goal, 64-point campaign in his 21st NHL season, still has offense left in the tank. He turns 41 in September, and he'll look to show he can still produce as he joins a new-look forward group, which features nine 20-goal scorers.

His role will likely change in the coming year, but it is something he will embrace, with the priority being to win. After all, one of the contingencies for his return to the District was to see the team be a legitimate contender that could compete for a Stanley Cup.

Patrick has done that with the team's new additions, while the team's rising youth in Ryan Leonard, Justin Sourdif and incoming rookies Cole Hutson and Ilya Protas, pack promise and round out the lineup.

“Our entire organization is thrilled that Alex has decided to continue playing,” Patrick said. “Alex has proven year after year that he can produce offensively and that he is still the driving force of our team. We are excited about the additions we made this offseason to bolster our lineup and make our group more competitive. We believe that our roster is well balanced and will help create more opportunities for Alex to create offense and score goals. In addition, his presence in our locker room — especially with our young players — will continue to be an enormous boost for our organization and will help shape our team culture for years to come.”

When it comes to how things will line up, expect Ovechkin, who'd shifted to the right last season, to be on the bottom-6 left wing with the team signing an influx of players on the right side.

Beyond Ovechkin, other right shots will also likely pivot to the left side, with Leonard being a candidate for that move as he looks to break into the top-6 full-time. Jenner, though a center, is also expected to slot in on the fourth line left wing where Brandon Duhaime was.

Of course, training camp will provide a clearer picture, but it's easy to see that Patrick's offseason has given the Capitals a plethora of options, as they went from taking a step back this season to being ready to take a significant stride forward.