In case you were living under a Fremont Street hotel, Alex Ovechkin is in the middle of a historic chase. The historical antagonist of the Vegas Golden Knights is chasing Wayne Gretzky's all-time record of goals (894). The Washington Capitals megastar had 884 heading into Wednesday's game against the New York Rangers (surprise! He got another on Wednesday, bumping that up to 885).
It even has ESPN on its toes and they'd normally slurp the bath water of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. You know you've made it big when you're pursuing one of the most legendary forwards in NHL history. Yet, here we are, watching a new legend emerging before our eyes.
Everyone has felt the impact of Ovechkin's goals, including the Golden Knights themselves. He's scored eight times against Vegas. The Russian winger also scored three goals and two assists in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, making him an official pain in the patoot in Las Vegas.
Still, he's an equal-opportunity buttkicker as NHL fans have learned over the years. The former No. 1 draft pick has grown into such a captivating character that he has his own all-time record watch. Now that's impressive.
While not many players on the Golden Knights can match the record-breaking winger goals-wise, this one player can shatter numerous franchise records. In fact, he broke the single-season assists record against the Chicago Blackhawks on February 27. I think you know who's being talked about, dear reader.
Jack Eichel can break numerous franchise records for the Vegas Golden Knights
If you want to be technical and talk about the winger closest to Alex Ovechkin, it's Jonathan Marchessault. He's second in Golden Knights history in all-time point shares (48) and holds countless franchise records. That includes career goals (192), points (417), and even goals created (166.4). This would be a valid argument.
However, it shouldn't surprise fans that Jack Eichel is the closest thing to a record-setting forward. Let's look at how he plays at a record-breaking pace. That starts with points per game (1.04) and goals created per game (0.39). He's already on his way to topping or coming close to even more records in the future.
His record-breaking pace stems far beyond the all-time records, though. His 2024-25 season alone has him atop the leaderboards in numerous stats. That includes the following categories (excluding single-season assists) with these stats heading into Wednesday's contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Stat | Total |
|---|---|
Assists per game | 0.90 |
Points per game | 1.22 |
Adjusted assists | 73 |
Adjusted points | 99 |
Adjusted goals created | 34.1 |
Eichel also has his eyes set on more records
Of course, he's also closing in on some records himself. The obvious record is the points record, where he had 73 points before Wednesday's game. William Karlsson currently stands as the leader with 78 points. But that's not the only record he's pursuing this season.
Stat | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|
Goals created | 24.4 | Eighth (Karlsson leads with 33.1 in 2017-18) |
Power play goals on-ice for | 38 | Tied for second (Tomas Hertl leads with 39 this season) |
Total goals on-ice for | 106 | Second (Karlsson leads with 112 in 2017-18) |
Goals created per game | 0.41 | Third (Max Pacioretty from 2020-21 is tied with Eichel from 2023-24 with 0.42) |
Career assists per game | 0.63 | Technically, tied for first (Mark Stone also has 0.63) |
Contrast that to the Washington Capitals megastar, who has 12 single-season records and 18 all-time records with the franchise. Fans know what he's done at the NHL level. However, the 39-year-old has revolutionized hockey with a scoring penchant, emphasizing incredible handles and an all-around game.
While Eichel isn't going to shatter the all-time goals record (unless he goes on a blistering streak), he's destined to do something with the playmaking aspect. That means generating as many points and assists as he can. If he stays healthy throughout his career, that can be a possibility.