Email error causes Caps to address Ovi's future

WASHINGTON -- The Capitals said Thursday that no decision has been made on Alex Ovechkin's future in the NHL after an email was sent to season-ticket holders calling next season his last.

The team on social media said the email was mistakenly sent by someone in the corporate sales department.

Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's career goal-scoring record this spring and now has a total of 897. The upcoming 2025-26 season is his last on his current contract, signed in 2021, and he turns 40 in September.

He has said he intends to play next season, which would be his 21st in the league.

Ovechkin is coming off a whirlwind season in which he overcame a broken leg to score 44 goals -- the third most in the league -- and pass Gretzky's career mark of 894 that long seemed unapproachable.

Ovechkin led the team with five goals in 10 games this postseason but had just one goal in the second round as he and the team fell short of the Eastern Conference finals for the 15th time in 16 appearances during his career. The one ECF appearance was part of the team's Stanley Cup run in 2018, when Ovechkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.