Alex Ovechkin is presently 58 goals away from the record of 894, and he has scored 14 this year. If he continues at this pace, he should reach around 25 goals, leaving him 47 goals to equal The Great One.
The issue is that Ovi is currently 38 years old with two years left on his contract. The likelihood of his statistics declining by the end of his contract is significant, and he may not reach Gretzky's 894 goals.
Therefore, he would need to continue his career if he intends to break the record. When asked by journalist Igor Rabiner if he plans to retire after his contract, Ovechkin's response leaves little doubt.
It's understandable. Ovechkin will be almost 41 at the end of his contract and has rarely been injured despite a sometimes robust playing style. If not for the lockouts and COVID, he might have already had the record.
