Report: Ovechkin Dealing With Offseason Injury, Recovering & Set To Ramp Up Training In Coming Days

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is set to begin ramping up his training ahead of his 20th NHL season, but first, he has to take the time to recover from an injury, per reports.

According to MatchTV , Ovechkin is dealing with a minor knee injury, which kept him from playing in a farewell match for Sergei Mozyakin this weekend in Magnitogorsk.

"The damage wasn't too serious and did not prevent Ovechkin from playing in the "Match of the Year" a week ago," a source told MatchTV. "But now, Alex has decided to take care so he can start full-fledged training in 10 days."

View the original article to see embedded media.

Ovechkin missed a series of games last season due to a lower-body injury, but it's unclear if it's related to this current ailment. He recently took the ice for an All-Star Game between NHL and KHL All-Stars, where he scored a goal and earned player of the game honors.

The 38-year-old said he planned to change up his training this offseason as he sits 42 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal-scoring record. Recently in an interview on a Russian podcast, he said that if not for the lockouts and COVID-19 pandemic, he could have already broken the record.

Related: Ovechkin Says He'll Change Up His Training This Offseason To Prep For 20th Year With Capitals, Excited To Continue Chase Of Gretzky

Now, it's a matter of staying healthy and consistent. Last season, Ovechkin recorded his record 18th 30-goal season after struggling to open the season with just eight goals in his first 43 games. He scored 22 goals in 36 games down the stretch to finish with 31 on the year.

Washington's training camp opens in September.