Alex Ovechkin, 40, signed a one-year contract to extend his stay at the Washington Capitals for the 22nd season of his NHL career on Thursday, July 2.

“IT'S SO NOT O-VER, BABES,” wrote the Capitals in a post on their official X account to confirm the re-signing of their captain to a $4.25 average annual value (AAV) deal.

Shortly after that, NHL insider for The Athletic, Chris Johnston, revealed details on social media about the bonuses Ovechkin will receive under the contract.

“Alex Ovechkin will earn $9M next season as long as he plays 10 games,” Johnston reported in his X post.

After that, he noted that out of those $9 million, the Russian forward will get $1 million as salary and $3.25 million as a signing bonus, adding up to $4.25 million, the AAV of the deal, which the Capitals alluded to.

Apart from the aforementioned signing bonus, Johnston mentioned that Ovechkin will take home an additional bonus of $4.75 million if he manages to compete in 10 games for the Capitals. These details were confirmed by NHL.com.

In his first comments after signing a contract extension, Ovechkin sounded happy and looked forward to putting together a successful season with the Capitals.

“I’m back!” said Ovechkin, as per NHL.com. “Thank you to everyone for giving me and my family the time to make this decision. I’m healthy. I love playing hockey and competing to win. I’m excited to come back and join my teammates so we can fight for a playoff spot and have a chance to win. See you in September, DC!”

Notably, in the last season, the Capitals missed out on securing a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a record of 43-30-9 for 95 points after Ovechkin played in all 82 games. He scored 64 points for 32 goals and 32 assists in the 2025-26 regular season, the second-worst haul of points in his 21 seasons taking the ice for Washington, DC.

As Ovechkin indicated in his comments, he would be looking to perform at his best to ensure that the Capitals make the playoffs in the upcoming 2026-27 season.

How has Alex Ovechkin’s career been with the Washington Capitals?

The Washington Capitals selected Ovechkin as the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft before he made his debut for them on October 5, 2005, against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Since then, Ovechkin has firmly established himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the NHL. He has amassed a whopping 1,687 points (929G / 758A) in his 1,573 regular-season games in his 21 seasons with the Capitals.

Ovechkin became the all-time leader in goals scored in the NHL after putting the puck in the net against the New York Islanders on April 6, 2025, to go past Wayne Gretzky’s haul, according to NHL.com. He has also managed to score the most power-play goals (331), game-winning goals (141), empty-net goals (72), and overtime goals (27) in his career.

The Russian has been a part of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 16 out of his 21 seasons with the Capitals, registering 147 points (77G / 70A) in 161 games. In 2018, he went into the history books by captaining the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup title in the NHL.

With such incredible numbers, Ovechkin has won many individual accolades, including the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (9 times), Ted Lindsay Award, and Hart Memorial Trophy (3 times each).

Will Alex Ovechkin contribute big time to help the Washington Capitals have a successful 2026-27 season? Give us your prediction in the comments.

Read more at NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar