The NHL is about to begin yet another great season. There are going to be a ton of storylines to follow all season long as 32 teams will play 82 games to determine the 16 playoff teams.
Starting in April, those 16 teams are going to play in a wild tournament to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup. Every year, this league seems to get better and better.
Part of what makes this league amazing is the players that play in it. Every team has great players that make any game worth watching. Of course, a few of the players are spectacular and just a little bit different.
Reaching milestones or breaking records is a part of sports and the NHL has no shortage of that. This year, there are a couple of players looking to do that at different points throughout the year. These are the three biggest milestones to be the most excited to see:
1. Auston Matthews reaches 300 goals
Auston Matthews should score the 300th goal of his NHL career early.
Auston Matthews became one of the league’s best players right when he stepped onto the ice in his NHL debut. He scored four goals in his first game and went on to have a 40-goal rookie campaign. It was quite remarkable.
Over the last two seasons, he has had 100 goals which is one of the top marks in the whole league. He is truly a special sniper who is extra dangerous because of his ability to make plays and defend.
Well, Matthews enters this season on 299 goals. His first of the season will be his 300th career goal which is a very impressive milestone.
To be 26 years old with 300 goals is amazing. This first goal that will get him to that milestone could come as early as their first game on Wednesday night when they take on the Montreal Canadiens.
Over the next ten years or so, he should have no problem adding on another 300 at minimum. Becoming a 600-goal scorer will be more than enough for the Hall of Fame.
Honestly, he has a very good chance to become a 700-goal guy too, and then anything beyond starts to become legendary stuff. First, we’ll start this year with that 300th.