Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is on the verge of changing into one of the vital completed gamers in NHL historical past.

Enter the 2024-25 season, Ovechkin is closing in on changing into the NHL’s all-time targets chief. Ovechkin comes into the yr with an opportunity to surpass Wayne Gretzky’s all-time targets file (894) in the course of the 2024-25 common season. The Capitals standout presently has 853 profession targets, so he would wish to rack up 42 targets with a purpose to high Gretzky’s league file.

The 2023-24 marketing campaign proved to be a mortal one for Ovechkin, who scored 31 targets final season. Ovechkin’s 31 targets was his lowest goal-scoring whole since he netted 32 targets within the 2012-13 season. Ovechkin did have simply 24 targets in 2020-21, however that season was shortened because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ovechkin scored 42 targets in the course of the 2022-23 season, and has tallied no less than 41 targets in 13 of his 19 NHL seasons.

Ovechkin presently has tallied 1,550 factors (853 targets, 697 assists) getting into the 2024-25 marketing campaign. He did make much more historical past in 2023-24 when he registered an NHL file 18th 30-goal season as he handed Mike Gartner (17) for the glory.

Ovechkin will open the 2024-25 season in opposition to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, Oct. 12. The Capitals open the marketing campaign with a three-game dwelling stand earlier than hitting the street to begin off the season.

Ovechkin will doubtless proceed to be a longtime pressure on the Capitals’ high power-play unit, so there will probably be loads of goal-scoring alternatives. He’ll look to get off to a warmer begin than he did in 2023-24 when he recorded simply 5 targets over the primary two months of the season.

CBS Sports activities will hold monitor of Ovechkin’s targets all through the 2024-25 season and hold tabs on how shut he’s to eclipsing Gretzky’s all-time file.