Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe. Alex Ovechkin.
Those are the only three members of the exclusive 800-goal club in the NHL. The Great 8 recently joined The Great One and Mr. Hockey in the category by potting his 800th career goal on Dec. 13.
The tally not only gave Ovechkin his third goal of the game and his 18th hat trick of his career, but it brought him within one goal of tying Howe for second all-time in goals scored.
The conversation in regards to Ovechkin's race to beat Gretzky has shifted from "if" to "when", as the Russian superstar is very much within striking distance of surpassing the legend as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer. Barring major unforeseen circumstances, Ovechkin should be solely in second by the time the season is over, and one to two seasons away from breaking the record.
Fans are lucky to be witnessing the amazing talents of Ovechkin, considering just how hard it is to score in the NHL. While Ovechkin is the third player to hit 800 goals, he is one of only eight ever to reach 700 and one of 20 to pot 600 career goals.
MORE: How close is Alex Ovechkin to breaking Wayne Gretzky's record
However, is there a possibility of a player currently in the NHL that could join Ovechkin, Howe and Gretzky in the 800-goal club? Here are four potential candidates that could reach the historic milestone.
Who else could join the 800-goal club?
All stats as of Dec. 16
Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs
There is only one active player with higher career goals per game average than Ovechkin, and that's Matthews.
The Maple Stars superstar has an average of 0.626 goals per game during his time in the NHL, which is slightly higher than Ovechkin's 0.613. They are the only two active players with career goals per game rate higher than 0.6.
Matthews sits at 274 goals in 438 career games. After becoming the third player in the salary cap era to reach 60 goals, the 25-year-old's scoring is down this season, with 15 goals in 31 games. That's still on pace for a 40-goal season, but Matthews is going to need to notch 50 goals in a season more often if he wants to hit 800.
Out of any of the current candidates, Matthews would be my pick as the skater to join the 800-goal club considering his career averages. As long as Ovechkin is still in the league, it's hard to consider Matthews the current best goal scorer in the NHL, but once the Capitals captain retires, that honor will go to Matthews.
Connor McDavid, Oilers
If there is going to be someone to replicate the video game numbers from The Great One, how about another Oilers captain donning the same blue and orange Gretzky did when he played in Edmonton?
Fans shouldn't be surprised anymore at the insane production we've seen from McDavid, yet year after year, he does something more and more impressive. This year has been his goal scoring, as he leads the league in scoring with 27 goals, three more than second-place Tage Thompson.
McDavid is scoring 0.87 goals per game this year, a much higher rate than his career goals per game mark of 0.514. His previous career-best was 0.59, which occurred in 2020-21. We are either seeing McDavid take a massive leap forward in his scoring ability and this will become the new "norm" for McDavid, or this season will end up being an extreme outlier.
The Oilers captain has been a consistent 40-goal scorer, so it feels like more than anything that this year will be an exception. Still, McDavid has 266 career goals in 518 games played. We've seen McDavid continuously defy the odds, so would anyone truly be surprised if he finishes with more than 800 goals when things are all said and done?
David Pastrnak, Bruins
Is it possible that Pastrnak's scoring talents are under-appreciated? The Bruins sniper has been one of the league's top goal scorers since he entered the league, owning a share of the 2020 Rocket Richard Trophy with none other than Ovi himself.
The Czech winger is up to 259 goals in 539 career games, putting his career goals per game rate at .481, the fifth-highest mark among active skaters. This season, he has 19 goals in 29 contests, on his way to hitting over 40 goals for the third time in his career.
While it hasn't been the case this year, Pastrnak has certainly benefitted from playing alongside two premiere playmakers in Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand in the past. When healthy, he's good for 40 goals, but injuries have decreased his output. He will have to ramp up his output over the next few seasons if he has any chance of cracking 800.
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers
The second half of the dynamic Oilers duo, Draisaitl has been the beneficiary of playing with McDavid. That's not a knock on his talents, as he is a premier passer, but there's no denying that having a generational talent like McDavid on the team helps out Draisaitl's production.
That said, the Oilers forward has averaged .467 goals per game in his career, the seventh-highest mark among active skaters. He has 21 goals in 31 contests this season, and very well could record his third 50-goal season by the end of the year. In his career, the German has found the back of the net 275 times in 589 games.
Draisaitl got off to a slower start in his career when it comes to scoring, failing to hit 30 goals in a season until his fifth year in the NHL. At 27 years old, the chances for him to get 800 are slim. I would say the only shot Draisaitl has is if he stays paired in Edmonton with McDavid throughout the majority of his career.
