“I don’t think somebody will break this record. In this hockey right now, in this league, I think its impossible,” said who about Wayne Gretzky‘s record? The Great Eight himself in 2016. He had stacked up over 500 goals till, but the math of playing 6 more 50-goal seasons didn’t make sense to him. Cut to 2025, and the Capitals’ game against the New York Islanders was paused so that Ovechkin could be honored for doing what he once thought was impossible. However, amidst the NHL’s constantly shifting spotlight, there’s always someone younger, faster, and just as hungry as Alexander Ovechkin has been. And maybe it’s Auston Matthews.

“That’s such a long way to go. I don’t think I should even be in that conversation,” Matthews said as if he was taking a page from Ovechkin’s book. But many, along with B/R  Open Ice, think that he is pretty much in the conversation. “Alex Ovechkin is officially the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. Auston Matthews has MORE goals than Ovechkin did through the same number of games played 🔮,” B/R Open Ice’s post on X declared. Well, they just dropped a big-time stat nugget, and that too a pretty wild one, right?

Well, here’s the thing. Looking at the numbers, Matthews is 498 goals away from touching the legend’s insane total! As much as it sounds like too far away—in 623 games, Matthews has scored 398 goals, and Ovechkin? He had 391 at the same time. So the Maple Leafs captain is already ahead of the Washington star’s pace. But to break the record, he must find the back of the net over 500 more times. Now that doesn’t sound too easy, but it’s also not impossible. “I’m so far away from that, and I think it shouldn’t really be a focus on myself. It rightfully so should be on Ovi and what he’s been able to accomplish in his career, and this record being one of them,” Matthew reflected. Looks like the captain is keeping his head down, but whether he likes it or not, numbers have already pulled him into the conversation!

And to add more spark to the conversation, the Maple Leafs forward, Matthew Knies, chipped in with his opinions. When asked if he could do it as well, his response? A quick and firm ‘no’—“It’s pretty crazy. Obviously, I can’t count that high. It’s pretty astonishing, but yeah, maybe we’ll see it down the line. ‘3-4’ could do it,” referring to Matthews, who wears No. 34. But is there anyone else who can take the crown for himself?

Who’s next in line to chase Alex Ovechkin?

Three, four could do it pretty well. Leon Draisaitl has been part of the conversation for a while now. The 29-year-old German machine has a record of 399 goals in 790 games. Moreover, this is his 6th 40+ goal season, so it’s not like age his having a huge effect on his sharpshooting skills. But wait, alongside Drasaitl is his teammate Connor McDavid. He has scored more than 30 goals in eight of the 10 seasons that he has played till now, so consistency is not an issue. Yet he would need to pick up the pace if he even plans on catching up to Ovechkin.

And then comes Mikko Rantanen, scoring 128 of his 293 goals in the last three seasons. Currently with the Dallas Stars, if he’s in the team’s top line, chaos is bound to happen, but only with a catch! His age—29, and time isn’t always friendly, which means he needs to be quicker! Meanwhile, there’s David Pastrňák from the Boston Bruins with 388 goals in 752 games! And guess what? The Bruins’ star is actually pacing better than both Draisaitl and McDavid! Now he might be an underrated one, but hey, with a 0.515 goals per game rate, he is the closest to Ovechkin’s average of 0.601 in this list.

And let’s not forget the kid with many penalties. Connor Bedard, with 39 career goals and a 0.289 goals-per-game pace, might not be setting great records yet, but he has age on his side, and much like Ovechkin, started off his NHL career with the Calder Memorial Trophy. But perhaps to reach his full potential, he will need to find a better team than the Chicago Blackhawks.

Simply put, there’s no telling who will beat Alex Ovechkin’s record, or if anyone will break it at all. All we can do is wait, and enjoy the Russian veteran’s game as he edges close to the final days of his career.