Ovechkin finally addresses his future with the Capitals

As Alex Ovechkin skated off the ice after suffering a Game 5 season ending loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday, some fans wondered if this was the last time that Ovechkin would ever play for the Washington Capitals. To those fans, Ovi has a message: "Don't sweat it."

Despite being without a contract for the 2021-22 season and despite the fact that he's been eligible to sign a contract extension for over a calendar year now, Ovechkin enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. However, Ovi remains confident a new contract will get done that will keep him in Washington.

"I'm confident, obviously," Ovechkin said to the media earlier today. "We still have time. Obviously I want to finish my career here. I'm pretty sure we will do something soon."

This isn't really a surprise, is it? Did anyone ever expect Ovechkin to sign anywhere else other than D.C.? While it's true that professional sports is a business and that nothing is guaranteed, there's simply no way that Ovechkin plays anywhere else. He's a lifelong Capital and likely wouldn't even entertain the idea of playing elsewhere... unless it's in the KHL. In fact, the Capitals are in a unique position in that they likely won't be competing with other NHL teams for Ovechkin's services, but rather with multiple KHL teams. Ovechkin has never shied away from the fact that he'd like to close out his career in Mother Russia, but he still has unfinished business in the NHL. 

Ovechkin's scoring pace isn't slowing down anytime soon and of course he's still in the race to catch Wayne Gretzky's all-time scoring record. He's got a Stanley Cup championship in his back pocket and he has more individual trophies than anyone could ever hope for, but you just KNOW that Gretzky's scoring record is in his sights. While I'm a big Gretzky fan and a bit of an old school traditionalist, I'd love nothing more than to see Ovechkin go down in the history books as the league's all-time scoring champion. Maybe then he'll retire to Moscow and play out the string with his hometown Dynamo Moscow?