Who can beat Alex Ovechkin's record?

It was called an “unbeatable” record. Many people thought it would be done, even the guy who ended up breaking it.

On April 6, Alex Ovechkin etched his name in history by becoming the all-time leading goal scorer with 895 goals. We have seen the “great chase” as it has been deemed all season long.

Now that he has it, the question is who could break Ovi’s record? I believe that there are plenty of current NHL players who we could see in the chase to become the all-time leading goal scorer.

Auston Matthews

Auston Matthews is the most obvious option to be the next to break the record. The first overall pick in 2016 is already almost at 400 goals, with 398, and is still only 27. Matthews has played 625 games in his career, and if he were to play as many games as Ovechkin, he would score 946 goals, which easily beats Ovi’s record.

He will likely play for another almost 10 years and will have plenty of time to rack up goals. He is already a prolific goal-scoring, having 69 goals in 81 games in the 2023-2024 season. He is just entering his prime and is putting up those numbers.

Matthews can put the puck in the net, and we could easily see him cementing his name as the greatest goal-scorer in NHL history.

Connor Bedard

Connor Bedard is one of the hottest names in hockey. While he might not have had the greatest seasons to start his career, he is still one of the most talented players in the NHL.

When drafted, he was praised for his shot and just how deadly it is. While Bedard has not lived up to the hype he has yet he is still young and on a struggling Blackhawks team. Some nights, he seems to be the only talent that the Blackhawks have.

He might only have 42 goals in his young career, but Bedard has a bright future. He has so much talent, and the Blackhawks are working to put even more talent around him.

If he can turn into the goal scorer he was drafted to be, it is likely we could see him pushing to break Ovechkin’s record.

While these two are the most likely to break it, we also need to look at how Hockey is always evolving.

From the equipment used to the way people train, the game is always changing. When Wayne Gretzky was playing, we saw a much different style of hockey. One of the biggest evolutions has been goalie equipment.

It has become much larger and made it much harder to score. Along with this, goalies have become much more mobile and have made so many highlight reel saves.

Despite all of this, people still find ways to put the puck in the back of the net. I think we will likely see Matthews break the record as he is almost halfway there and has plenty of seasons still to play.

Just because Ovi broke it at 895 doesn’t mean he's done. He still has the rest of the season, and who knows what his plan is. He could play longer and set the record even higher.

No matter what, hockey is in a great spot with so many great goal-scorers in the league.

Andrew Matz is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email atm5759@psu.edu.