Capitals Countdown: Ovechkin’s 21st Season, New Blue Line Moves & Cup Hopes

Alex Ovechkin is set to return to Washington in early September ahead of his 21st NHL season with the Capitals. At 40, with one year left on his contract, Ovi remains one of the league’s elite goal scorers, tallying 44 goals in just 65 games last season despite missing time with injury. In April, he passed Wayne Gretzky with his 895th career goal, cementing his place as the greatest goal scorer in NHL history. The summer saw him in Moscow with family, appearing at charity events, and gifting custom Hublot watches to the entire organization to commemorate the milestone. Washington also reshaped its blue line depth, parting ways with 2018 first-round pick Alex Alexeyev—who signed with Pittsburgh—and adding Declan Chisholm from Minnesota to serve as the seventh defenseman. The rest of the defensive core remains intact, with John Carlson entering the final year of his deal. Coming off an Eastern Conference title and looking for one more Cup run, the Capitals enter 2025–26 with veteran leadership, strong depth, and the spotlight firmly on Ovechkin’s potential last ride. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. Monarch Money Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at monarchmoney.com/lockedonnhl for 50% off your first year. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Football season is around the corner, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now. Indeed Now, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to Indeed.com/LOCKEDON right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER : 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.