Who could break Alex Ovechkin's (likely) goals record someday? 4 NHL stars with a shot

If you had told me years ago that an NHL player would break Wayne Gretzky's career goals record, I would have laughed in your face.

It seemed unbreakable. But then Alex Ovechkin continued to score heaps of goals well into his 30s, and now the 39-year-old is about to break The Great One's all-time record of 894 goals, maybe as soon as next week (and in the same number of games Gretzky played!).

So I will never say never again. Which brings me to the distant future: who among the NHL stars now has a shot at what will be Ovechkin's record?

This is tough given that Ovechkin may just score ... another 90 to 100 goals before he retires? But let's not think about that and focus on who might have a shot if they keep up their scoring.

Here are some names to consider:

Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

397 goals in 622 games

Here's my pick. He's score at least 34 in ever year he's played (except maybe this year? We'll see) and he's only 27 years old. If he keeps this up, he can get to at least 800.

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

361 goals in 708 games

Here's the thing: he's also adept at passing, but this is the same guy who scored 64 goals two years ago. That said, his goal totals haven't been otherworldly, so unless he goes on a streak in his 30s, I think he's going to fall short. But let's talk about his teammate.

Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers

399 goals in 789 games

He's potted 50-plus four times. He's going to be 30 next year. Hmmm. A darkhorse pick.

David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

385 goals in 749 games

I don't see it. He's really, REALLY good, but he needs to have more of those 61-goal seasons like he had in 2022-23.