Capitals rumors: The 2 reasons Alex Ovechkin is considering not retiring

No one knows if Alex Ovechkin has already played his last game in the National Hockey League — but we can speculate. And Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman did just that in his latest 32 Thoughts column.

The Great Eight said after the Washington Capitals’ final tilt of the 2025-26 season that he was “pretty sure it’s not my last game,” and the hockey insider believes that as long as the team is competitive next year, the greatest goal scorer in league history will be back.

And with rookies Cole Hutson and Ilya Protas making significant impacts in a short time period, the roster figures to again be battling for a postseason berth in the Eastern Conference next spring.

“If Alexander Ovechkin made his decision right after the deadline, when Washington traded John Carlson and Nic Dowd, the emotions probably took him to retirement,” wrote Friedman on Saturday. “But, two of the reasons I think he’s considering returning are Cole Hutson (10 points in 14 games) and Ilya Protas (four points in four games).

“These 19-year-olds made an impact and look like they can be key contributors. I still think it comes down to whether or not he feels like he can handle an 84-game season and the summer training necessary for it, but he also wants to be on a team that can accomplish something. Hutson and the younger Protas showed Ovechkin (and others) they belong.”

Both Hutson and Protas excelled at the sport’s highest level, and the two youngsters figure to be even better in a full NHL season in 2026-27.  Although it was a disappointing ending, the Capitals went on a tear at the last, winning their last four games — and 10 of 14 between March 18 – April 14.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are always a better product with Ovechkin involved, and with a few promising young talents, as well as a bonafide star goaltender in Logan Thompson, they will almost certainly be competitive again next year.

That will be especially true if the 929-goal, 1,687-point scorer decides to return to the National Hockey League for another campaign or two.

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