Alex Ovechkin’s future is one of the most frequently discussed topics surrounding the Washington Capitals this season. The 40-year-old legendary winger’s contract with the Capitals expires next summer, and he’s admitted that he plans to play out the entire 2025-26 season before deciding on his future.
In the past, Ovechkin has suggested that he’d like to finish his on-ice career with his hometown team, Dynamo Moscow of the KHL. He recently reiterated those desires to Jeff Marek and Bruce Boudreau during his guest appearance on the Hockey Lifers Podcast.
“Yeah. I grew up there. I played for Dynamo,” Ovechkin said. “Of course, I want to play maybe one or two games. We’ll see. You never know what’s going to happen, right? Right now, I’m here and I’m enjoying my days here. We’ll see.”
Ovechkin began his hockey journey in Dynamo’s academy and played the first four years of his professional career with the club in what was then called the Russian Super League. Ovechkin, who currently serves in an advisory role with the club, has remained active in an alumni setting with Dynamo and even returned to play for the team during the 2012-13 NHL lockout.
The Moscow native has played with the Caps for the last 20 years, having been drafted by the team first overall in the 2004 NHL Draft. Dynamo’s President, Viktor Voronin, said last February that he is prepared to negotiate with Ovechkin after his contract with the Capitals expires next July.
“You wait until you’re Jagr’s age before you do that,” Boudreau said.
“Would you ever play that long?” Marek asked.
“No, no,” Ovechkin replied. “My kids wants to. They always ask me, ‘Dad, is this your last year? Are you gonna play in Russia for Dynamo?’ Let’s enjoy this time. Sergei right now, he’s 7. I’m 40. So he’s gonna be drafted in 11 years. I’m gonna be 51. Should we call Ted (Capitals owner Ted Leonsis) right now?”
Ovechkin spoke about the prospect of playing with his son, Sergei, this past summer, saying that he had already achieved his dream when he was able to skate with Sergei in a Russian charity game last year.
“In 15 years, I’ll be 55,” he added. “At 55, I’m not ready to play professional hockey.”
Outside of winning another Stanley Cup, Ovechkin has little left to accomplish in the NHL. He ticked off both the 900-goal and 1,500-game milestones this season. One of the only major records he has left to chase concerns the all-time hits list, where he trails Cal Clutterbuck by 252 hits.
For the Packers, the end result of a 27-20 win over the Giants–no matter how unsightly the quality of play–is especially gratifying because of how close the season was to falling apart completely. That’s because, with 3:20 to play in the first quarter of the game, star quarterback Jordan Love took a particularly hard hit on a short run-scramble.
The hit came from Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles after a four-year jaunt, a play on which Love made no attempt to slide. It was a legal whack from Flannigan-Fowles but it was clear from the moment Love went down that he was injured. He scurried to the medical tent on the sideline, replaced by backup Malik Willis.
For coach Matt LaFleur, the good news is that Love is coping well now that the team is back in Green Bay. “He’s doing good. Obviously, he’s definitely sore,” LaFleur said.
Seeing Love take that kind of hit in service of a four-yard pickup, though, warranted a stern rebuke from LaFleur.
Here’s how the coach saw the play, which was essentially the equivalent of the Packers’ 2025 flashing before his eyes.
“I mean, that was a pretty big hit, one of those that you just say, ‘C’mon, man. You can’t put yourself in those situations,’” LaFleur said with a laugh.
Love, despite the injury, came back and led the Packers to a gritty victory. “I thought he played his (expletive) off yesterday, I really did,” LaFleur said. “I thought he was throwing accurately. He showed a ton of toughness in the pocket. I mean, there were multiple times he was getting hit pretty good in the pocket and he was making throws.
“I was really proud of his ability to come back in the game and just show that, not only physical toughness but the mental toughness to keep fighting.”
The question for LaFleur and other Packers coaches, though, was what the team should–and even could–do to rein in Love in those situations. It was clear that Love thought he had some room to break open a longer run on the play.
“It’s one of those deals where, things happen pretty quickly out there. I think he, as he was scrambling, he did a little pump fake and actually got the guy to leave his feet a little bit,” LaFleur said.
“I don’t know if he thought he is a little more elusive than what he really is, and thought he could get around him or not. Obviously, it didn’t work out. I do think it is a fine line in how you coach a guy in those situations because there is a lot more feel to it, because things happen so quickly.”
In Love’s place, of course, backup quarterback Malik Willis finished the Packers drive with a touchdown. Willis had not played since Week 3 of the 2024 season, but looked like he had gathered no moss.
Said LaFleur: “I can’t say enough great things about Malik. We don’t win that game without Malik. He’s a great competitor and he is so calm, I mean, just, he was in there on some critical situations. We had third downs, we called a zone read and he uses his legs, which was kind of—when your starting quarterback is out and you have your backup in there, and you call the zone read, you’re a little concerned about that because you can’t have anything happen to him.
“But he made a lot of plays in the game.