Alex Ovechkin said Saturday he intends to return to the Washington Capitals for his 21st NHL season after breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career goal-scoring record earlier this spring.

Ovechkin joked about joining the minor league Hershey Bears for their playoff run and indicated the question wasn’t whether he’d be back but rather if he had what it takes to earn a spot.

“First of all, (I have) to make a roster at 40 years old,” Ovechkin quipped on locker cleanout day, less than 48 hours after he and the Capitals were eliminated in the second round by Carolina.

Ovechkin, who turns 40 in September, has one season left on his five-year, $47.5 million contract he signed in 2021. He said he is approaching the summer like any other, planning to train the same way in the offseason and see where things go.

“I’m going to use those couple months (in the offseason) to rest, enjoy my life, then back to work,” Ovechkin said. “Me and (trainer Pavel Burlachenko are) going do our job to get ready for the season and just do my best.”

Ovechkin is coming off a whirlwind of a season, where he overcame a broken leg to score 44 goals — the third most in the league — and pass Gretzky’s mark of 894 that long seemed unapproachable. The Russian superstar has 897.

“For him to come back this year and play the way that he did, chase down this record, the start that he had, breaking his leg, coming back from that, and just continuing to not only do things he did individually, statistically, but lead our team — that’s part of the story that will be a minor part of it, but it’s a big part of it,” coach Spencer Carbery said after the Game 5 loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday night.

“He did what he came back this year to prove and show, and he did it in the playoffs as well. I tip my cap to ‘O’ and the season that he had and as our captain leading the way.”

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 final for the 15th time in 16 appearances during his career. The other time was their Stanley Cup run in 2018, when Ovechkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Going into next season, Ovechkin wants to work toward chasing a second championship.

“I’m looking forward for next year,” Ovechkin said. “I’m going to try to do my best to play and my team is going to help me, too. ... I just want to come back next year and see the team who’s capable of winning the Stanley Cup.”

Jets’ scheifele plays after father’s death

Winnipeg top center Mark Scheifele scored a goal in the Jets’ must-win Game 6 of their second-round playoff series at Dallas on Saturday night, hours after the unexpected death of his father.

Scheifele scored his fifth goal of the playoffs 5 1/2 minutes into the second period to give the Jets a 1-0 lead. He scored on a short snap shot with assists from Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi.

Jets coach Scott Arniel said the news of Brad Scheifele’s passing overnight was difficult for the entire team. The team was told before the optional morning skate.

There was no immediate word on the cause of Brad Scheifele’s death.