ARLINGTON, Va. — The season is more than half over, and amid a sluggish stretch, the Washington Capitals are still hoping to make a successful push for the postseason.
The bigger question — will Alex Ovechkin be back next season? — still looms in the background.
“He seems very focused on kind of the short term here, and this team trying to get into the playoffs and having another shot at winning the Stanley Cup,” general manager Chris Patrick said. “So yeah, you guys are going to continue to have to wait.”
Ovechkin is in the final year of his contract, and at age 40, he has managed to reach 20 goals again — just as he did in each of his previous 20 NHL seasons. Whether he’s ready to wrap up his career with the Capitals remains just as unclear as it was back at the beginning of the season.
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Patrick spoke with reporters Friday and said when he has talked to Ovechkin, it hasn’t really been about the Russian star’s plans beyond 2025-26.
“Haven’t really had that conversation,” Patrick said. “We talked a little bit just about where the team is and what he feels we need and what I feel we need. But it didn’t really get too much into his future outside of this year.”
The Capitals have managed to stay competitive as Ovechkin has aged, missing the playoffs just once in the past 11 seasons and avoiding a full rebuild. That’s in part because Ovechkin himself has remained a productive goal scorer, tallying 44 last season while breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career record.
Ovechkin is now up to 917 for his career, but after a strong start, the Capitals haven’t won back-to-back games since the first few days of December. They’re very much on the playoff bubble right now, and Patrick made it clear Washington is looking for help before the March 6 trade deadline.
“Definitely actively pursuing an addition,” Patrick said. “With as many teams in the mix right now playoffwise as there are, I think teams are very much trying to figure out their timing and what they need to do and when they want to do it.”
On Friday, the New York Rangers made it clear they are open to being moving players when they posted a letter to that effect from GM Chris Drury on social media. New York is in last place in the Eastern Conference.
The Capitals, on the other hand, are tied for third in the Metropolitan Division despite injuries to some key players. Pierre-Luc Dubois hasn’t played since Oct. 31 but is back skating again. Tom Wilson hasn’t played since Jan. 3.
“We view our biggest need as kind of a higher-end, skilled winger. Those aren’t always available at the deadline,” Patrick said. “We’re going to keep trying to pursue those guys if they’re out there.”
And while Ovechkin’s future remains uncertain, it doesn’t sound like that will impact Washington’s deadline plans much. The Capitals are in playoff contention and were the top seed in the East last season, so it makes sense for them to be buyers. But even if Ovechkin’s retirement is imminent, they have plenty of key players signed long term, so there’s no reason to mortgage their future too much.
“I hope that whatever we do kind of fits both,” Patrick said. “I hope we can do something that helps us short term, for this team getting in the playoffs again, for Alex to have another run at the playoffs, and also helps long term for whenever it is he’s not on the team.”
