It took until July 2 for Alex Ovechkin to remove all doubt. The leading goal scorer in NHL history, soon to be 41 years old, will return to the Washington Capitals for the 2026-27 season, his 22nd in the NHL.At some point in the not-too-distant past, that decision — for anyone paying close attention, at least — started to feel inevitable. It might’ve been last week, when Capitals general manager Chris Patrick told The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun that two high-profile additions to the team’s forward group didn’t signify that it had moved beyond the icon, in an on-ice sense.It might’ve been one of the several times Patrick has spoken of Ovechkin’s wait-and-see approach to Washington’s navigation of the offseason’s important bits, and of his single-minded desire to contribute to a lineup pushing in the right direction.It might’ve been in mid-April, when Ovechkin, undecided as he was about his future, spent what could’ve been the last two weeks of his NHL career refusing to acknowledge the elephant he’d invited into the room.Or, it might’ve been a few days before that, when the theoretical farewell stretch kicked off without Ovechkin’s mother, Tatyana, along for the ride. She’d remained in Russia, as glaring a signal as any that her son had a few more goals left in his stick.Of course, none of that matters now. The decision has been made, and the bonus-laced contract signed. If an Ovechkin retirement tour ever takes place, it’s likely been delayed another nine months or so. In the meantime, there are games to play and a fresh batch of questions to answer.What’s become clear, though, is that both sides — the Capitals and their captain — are in a better spot to get what they want: a truly meaningful season that’ll act as an appropriate capstone for a singular player. Ovechkin is returning to what might be the deepest roster in the league and to a lineup that may have enough solid pieces, top to bottom, to counterbalance its lack of (current) franchise-caliber performers.