Alex Ovechkin continues his chase towards Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record of 894. With each history-making landmark, the gap between Ovi and every other active scorer grows.
Yet, there are many NHL players who have potential to follow in athletic star power.
No one plays Ovechkin’s exact game of one part sniper and one part wrecking ball. But there are three skaters who are building legacies of their own, each with distinct goal-scoring prowess.
Auston Matthews has become the NHL’s most consistent goal-scorer that is not named Ovechkin.
The 27-year-old center for the Maple Leafs is a two-time 60-goal scorer. In 2021-22 he scored 60, and 2023-24 saw him reach 69 goals. He shares company with legacy players like Pavel Bure, Jari Kurri, and Steve Yzerman with two 60-goal seasons. Matthews joins Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Phil Esposito, Mario Lemieux, and Brett Hull in the top 10 multiple 60-goal seasons.
His blend of elite shooting, accuracy, and puck protection turn him into a menace when it comes to scoring chances. Not to mention the power play, where Matthews holds 104 power play goals in 619 appearances.
While he may match Ovechkin’s physicality on paper, Matthews averages 0.7 hits per game compared to Ovi’s 2.5. But Matthews’ pure scoring ability is already historic.
With over 350 goals before age 27, Matthews has a legitimate chance to reach 700.
Connor McDavid isn’t often mentioned as a goal-scoring specialist, but he’s still worth mentioning in this conversation.
In 2022–23, McDavid reached the highest total of his career with 64 goals. Though that number dropped to 32 last season, his offensive threat hasn’t faded.
McDavid attacks with speed, ranking 7th in skating speed among NHL forwards this season with 23.97 mph. Among all forwards and defense, he’s still in the top ten. Though he’s more of a playmaker than a pure shooter, his ability to generate Grade-A chances is significant.
This season, McDavid ranks fifth in points (26 goals, 64 assists). He remains as important to the modern NHL as Ovi.
Kyle Connor doesn’t always get the spotlight, but his numbers are legit. For the past four seasons, Connor has topped 30 goals, including a 47-goal campaign in 2021-22.
A 2021-22 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner, Connor also possesses a release that makes him lethal off the rush. With 67 power play goals in his career, Connor is dangerous at both even strength and on the power play. His consistent production (573 points in 604 games) puts him in the elite scorer conversation.
Cole Caufield hasn’t hit the same numbers as Matthews or McDavid yet, but his skillset shows he could one day.
The 24-year-old winger owns one of the league’s cleanest and quickest releases, per Elite Prospects. At 115 goals in 276 games, Caufield’s scoring at a pace of 0.42 goals per game. It’s a solid pace by most standards, though a step behind the legendary mark of 0.60 set by Ovi.
Since the 2020-21 season, Caufield is trending upwards in goals scored. In just 46 games during 2022-23 before injury cut his season short, he scored 26 goals. The Habs are one of the youngest teams in the league, with an average roster age of 26.04. Caufield has been healthy this year and continues to develop in the youthful Montreal lineup.
If Caufield finds stability and keeps growing, he could become one of the NHL’s premier shooters in his prime.
Few rookies enter the league with as much hype as Connor Bedard, with still fewer delivering.
Macklin Celebrini was considered for this spot, but his two-way game and playmaking creativity resemble Sidney Crosby more than Ovechkin.
Bedard, at 19, has already shown flashes of his elite shot ability. He became the second teenager with eight points in two games, joining Dale Hawerchuk’s 1982 mark of four goals, four assists. Despite an injury setback last season, he continues to create chances through Chicago’s rebuild.
He’s not Ovechkin, but the foundation is there with a solid two decades between them. At 19, the question isn’t if Bedard is on pace yet, but, rather, what will the pace become? If history is any guide, Bedard’s prime scoring years are still ahead. If his development stays on track, he could become a 50-goal threat even sooner than expected.
Bedard’s early numbers are modest but time is on his side in a big way.
Matvei Michkov is in his first NHL season with the Philadelphia Flyers, and his potential is hard to ignore. With the KHL in 2023-24, Michkov logged 41 points in 47 games (19 goals, 22 assists). He continues to produce in one of the world’s top leagues.
At 20 years old, he has a scoring instinct and a high hockey IQ. This season with the Flyers, Michkov has 54 points in 72 games, with 22 goals and 32 assists.
Ovechkin’s record pursuit is a spotlight moment in NHL history. He could even hit 900 if he plays out his contract.
Matthews, McDavid, Connor, and Caufield are writing their own chapters. Bedard and Michkov may be next.
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Featured image courtesy of NHL.com
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