The historic GR8 Chase by Alex Ovechkin has finally ended, and it seems that the NHL has quieted down – not until another buzz about who would be able to beat the new record set by the Washington Capitals star has started going around the league. So far, most analysts and even players claim that Toronto Maple Leafs captain and star Auston Matthews might be able to pull it off.

Records are made to be broken, and it took a long time for Ovechkin to chase down the legendary Wayne Gretzky’s record for the most career goals in the NHL, and at the age of 39, he did manage to score 895 goals and showed the world that chasing a long-standing record isn’t impossible.

To be fair, LeBron James did break the NBA’s long-standing record of most points scored in February 2023 – then later set 40,000 points in the next year. There’s indeed a lot of records that are meant to be broken – and many people seem to think that Matthews is also capable of pulling off that same feat as well. The thing is – there is indeed a lot to expect considering how it is hard to score a goal in the NHL, let alone score a total of 896 goals by the end of one’s career.

A Long Way to Go

Well, Matthews does have a case to beat that record. Sure, Sidney Crosby (622 goals), Steven Stamkos (579 goals), an Evgeni Malkin (513 goals) do have better numbers as of the time of writing, but they are already past their prime and are unlikely to make a chase for the top of the scoring list.

Matthews, on the other hand, has a total of 398 goals in 623 career games. He is 497 shy of Ovechkin’s mark, and he would at least need 778 more games to score 896 goals based on his current goals-per-game pace. In a season perspective, that’s about nine more seasons.

Luckily, Matthews is just 27, and considering that Ovechkin reached it at the age of 39, the Maple Leafs star will be 36 when he breaks the record – and still has three more years to add to the tally. That is a long way to go, yes, but Matthews himself definitely deserves to be in the conversation with the way he’s playing.

“I mean, this guy just broke the record. I’m so far away from that, and I don’t think that should be a focus on myself,” Matthews said about being the next to beat the scoring record. “I mean, it should be on Ovi, and rightfully so. It should be on Ovi, and what he’s been able to accomplish in his career, and obviously this record being one of them.”

Other Factors to Consider

While it is entirely plausible for Matthews to beat the NHL scoring record, there are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to his scoring. One begins at how many goals will Ovechkin have when he retires – considering that he’s still playing at an impressive pace and is bringing a high level of play, the Capitals forward will likely last for two more seasons and may even be daring enough to be the first to reach 1,000 goals.

If that happens, then the numbers will be bigger for Matthews to chase, and let’s not forget that health is a concern for Matthews – and if he will be playing for more games with the Maple Leafs as well.

For now, the focus for Matthews is to bring his game to a high level and keep the pressure on the Eastern Conference as he seeks to come up with a winning pace with Toronto heading into the playoffs. The scoring talk will have its time, soon.