NHL Milestone Watch 2025-26: Alex Ovechkin isn’t done wowing us

Sep 17, 2025, 11:09 EDTUpdated: Sep 17, 2025, 11:10 EDT

Washington Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin

Credit: Apr 10, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) watches a video during a ceremony honoring his becoming the NHL all-time goals leader prior to the Capitals' game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Well. “Tough act to follow” won’t suffice. Almost nothing in the NHL milestone world can top what we witnessed last season. Scoring on the power play from his office against the New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin during an April 6 matinee, Alex Ovechkin surpassed Wayne Gretzky with career goal No. 895, becoming the league’s all-time greatest sniper.

We obviously won’t experience anything close to the anticipation and fanfare the Ovi chase brought to the sport last season. Still, we should see some significant benchmarks reached in 2025-26.

Keep an eye out for these milestones this season:

Alex Ovechkin: 900 GOALS

Ovechkin has already reached the summit entering the final year of his contract, his age-40 season. But while any player in history could only dream of 897 goals, a clean number like 900 feels way cooler, doesn’t it? He’s a hat trick away from getting there. Would it surprise anyone if he did it in the Washington Capitals’ season opener at home Oct. 8? He’s also just 19 points away from 1,642, which would eclipse Joe Sakic’s 1,641 and place Ovechkin in the all-time top 10.

Patrick Kane: AMERICAN-BORN POINTS RECORD (1,375)

While Brett Hull technically has the American record at 1,391 points, he was born in Canada. Mike Modano’s mark of 1,374 is generally acknowledged as the “real” record for U.S.-born players. Kane opens the season with the Detroit Red Wings at 1,343, needing 32 to become the top American-born scorer ever. It’s something he takes pride in; he told us at the Player Media Tour last week he’s “really excited” about some of the milestones he could reach this season.

Sidney Crosby: PASSING MARIO LEMIEUX IN POINTS (1,724)

How fitting would it be if Crosby, as rumors begin to swirl about a potential trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins, cemented his all-time franchise icon status by passing Mario the Magnificent? Crosby’s 1,687 points place him ninth all-time. He’s 37 away from leapfrogging Lemieux for eighth. Also: Crosby’s 20 (consecutive) point-per-game seasons are already an NHL record, but he could extend his streak to 21.

Steven Stamkos: 600 GOALS

It felt strange seeing ‘Stammer’ don a Nashville Predators jersey after 16 seasons of Hall of Fame grade hockey with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and nothing went right for him last season. The Preds missed the playoffs despite considerable hype around their offseason free-agent spending, and Stamkos’ 27 goals marked his lowest full-season total since 2017-18. But he could turn the frown upside down with some nifty milestones in 2025-26. He needs just 18 goals to become hockey’s 22^nd member of the 600 club. He’s also 10 points away from 1,200 and will be the 53rd player to get there.

John Tavares & Patrick Kane: 500 GOALS

Tavares showed last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs that he still has high-end hockey in him at 34, burying 38 goals, so it shouldn’t take him long to bang six pucks home and become member No. 49 of the 500 club. Meanwhile, Kane eyes the Modano milestone but could get to this one sooner, needing just eight goals for 500. He’ll become the sixth American and fifth American-born player to reach the mark.

Nikita Kucherov, Brad Marchand, Jamie Benn & Leon Draisaitl: 1,000 POINTS

Every one of these players has taken a vastly different path to 1,000 points. Kucherov, six points away, broke out in his early 20s as a second-round steal and has three scoring titles to his name. Marchand, 20 away, only became an elite offensive force in his late 20s but nevertheless has forged a Hall of Fame career as a scorer/pest hybrid. Benn, 44 away, did a lot of damage relatively young, winning the Art Ross Trophy in his age-25 season, and has been more of a serviceable leader lower in the Dallas Stars lineup in his 30s. Draisaitl, 44 away, is surpassed only by Edmonton Oilers teammate Connor McDavid in scoring output since sticking full-time in the league and will get to 1,000 give or take 300 games quicker than Marchand and Benn.

Joel Quenneville: 1,000 COACHING WINS

After four years in exile for his mishandling of Kyle Beach’s sexual assault allegations against video coach Brad Aldrich during the Chicago Blackhawks’ dynastic run, a contrite Quenneville rejoins the NHL behind the Anaheim Ducks bench. Setting aside the debate of whether he deserved a second chance: he’s getting one regardless, and he begins the season second in league history with 969 wins. Helming an ascendant Ducks team, nabbing 31 Ws should be a cinch this season.

The Connor McDavid category

The blindingly brilliant McDavid puts up points so prolifically that we typically have to forecast him for multiple point benchmarks in a single season. He sits at 1,082 through 712 games and became the fourth fastest to 1,000 last season. He’ll outpace Mike Bossy to become the third fastest to 1,100 with 18 more points in his first 14 games. And if McDavid gets 118 this season – hardly a stretch if he stays healthy – he’ll be the third fastest to 1,200.

Other milestones to watch in 2025-26

– Evgeni Malkin: 1,400 points
– Anze Kopitar: 1,300 points
– Steven Stamkos & Nathan MacKinnon: 1,200 points
– Leon Draisaitl, Jamie Benn & David Pastrnak: 400 goals
– Erik Karlsson: 900 points (14^th defenseman to do it)

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