3 amazing NHL milestones that we will see in 2023-24
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.
2. Connor McDavid reaches 1000 points
There is a world in which Connor McDavid reaches his 100th career NHL point.
Yes, you read that right. 26-year-old (will turn 27 in January) Connor McDavid can reach 1000 points this season. Obviously, that would be legendary for him to accomplish at this young of an age.
Reaching that milestone in your late 30s is impressive because it means you were a great player for so long. McDavid is on another level of legendary status already though.
Last season, McDavid had a career year for the Edmonton Oilers as he had 64 goals and 89 assists for 153 points. All of those were career highs by at least 10. It was an incredible year and one we haven’t seen from an NHL player in decades.
McDavid set out to score more goals and he did. He smashed his previous career high of 44 goals by adding on another 20. His assists didn’t go down with this adjustment either. In fact, they went up by ten (79 in 2021-22/89 in 2022-23).
It would take another super-elite year like that for McDavid to reach the 1000-point mark. He currently has 850 points so his 150th point would reach the milestone. Of course, that is a high mark but who is going to bet against Connor McDavid? Not us.
3. Alex Ovechkin reaches 1500 points
Alexander Ovechkin has had a lot of NHL milestones on his mind lately.
The Washington Capitals are probably not going to be a winning team for the next handful of years. However, they are going to be playing for something very special in the meantime while they retool their roster.
The franchise’s all-time greatest player, Alex Ovechkin, has 822 career goals. When he scores his 895th goal, he will be the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. This is going to be an amazing moment in NHL history whenever it does happen.
If Ovechkin keeps at his typical pace, maybe a little bit lower because of his age, he should break the record late in the 2024-25 season or early in the 2025-26 season. Either way, it is coming for him.
In 2023-24, however, there is another milestone that Ovechkin is going to hit. He is known for being a goal scorer but make no mistake about his ability to make some plays too. He has 663 assists to go with those 822 goals so his point total is up to 1485.
When he reaches his 15th point of the season, Ovechkin will be the 16th player in NHL history to reach 1,500 points. Right above him on the list is Sidney Crosby which is fitting thanks to all of the great battles that the two have had.
This won’t warrant quite the same celebration that breaking Gretzky’s record will but it will be very cool to see. That many points is no joke.