sports
Alex Ovechkin Signs One-Year Contract to Play 22nd Season with Capitals
The Washington Capitals captain agreed to return after scoring 929 goals. The team added multiple forwards and defensemen in the offseason following a playoff miss.
Audio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Alex Ovechkin agreed to a one-year, incentive-laden contract that will keep him with the Washington Capitals for a 22nd NHL season. He announced the decision on July 2, 2026. Ovechkin has scored 929 goals in 1,573 regular-season games and turns 41 in September.
The announcement came after the Capitals completed several roster additions to strengthen forward depth. Washington acquired winger Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues in a trade with an $8.125 million cap hit through the 2030-31 season.
The team also completed a sign-and-trade with the Buffalo Sabres for winger Alex Tuch, who signed an eight-year contract with a $10.5 million cap hit. General manager Chris Patrick stated that the decision on Ovechkin was made independently of the other roster moves. "The Ovechkin thing was independent of it," Patrick told ESPN.
The Capitals also signed center Boone Jenner to a contract with a $5 million cap hit, forward Jonny Brodzinski at an $850,000 cap hit, defenseman Justin Holl at a $900,000 cap hit, and defenseman Vincent Desharnais at a $4. The Capitals finished the 2025-26 season with 95 points, placing 12th in the NHL and missing the playoffs by three points.
It marked the third time the franchise has missed the postseason since 2008.
Forward Tom Wilson, 32, said after elimination that the season had been a failure. "We all feel last season was a failure," Wilson said. The team's core includes center Pierre-Luc Dubois, 28; defensemen Jakob Chychrun, 28, and Martin Fehervary, 26; and goaltender Logan Thompson, 29.
Younger roster players include winger Ryan Leonard, 21; winger Aliaksei Protas, 25; forward Ilya Protas, 19; and defenseman Cole Hutson, 20.
