Auston Matthews, despite being one of the NHL’s most prolific goal scorers in recent years, has quite a bit of ground to cover if he hopes to break Alex Ovechkin’s all-time goal record of 895. Matthews, at this stage in his career, still has a considerable distance to go. Ovechkin, who is in the later stages of his career but still performing at an elite level, is the most prominent active player chasing Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record.
Matthews, currently with over 300 goals (as of 2025), has demonstrated that he can score at an elite pace, but breaking Ovechkin’s record would require sustained excellence over many more years. While Matthews is still in his prime, he’d need to stay healthy and continue producing at his current pace for several more seasons to realistically challenge Ovechkin’s remarkable total. His goal-scoring ability, along with his longevity, will determine how close he can come to that record.
It’s certainly possible, but it’s a long and difficult journey ahead for Matthews.
