[Robbob]

Just crazy to think that he was sitting at 8 goals after 40 games. Back half of the season 21 and counting. I still think it will take him the remainder of the contract to break it. It will just be when in 25-26 will it be broken. The record will be a formality and it will be all about the countdown to 900 at that point.

On a side note, it will also be interesting to track Matthews over the next few years. These prime years before 30 will make or break it for him.
At the age of 26 Ovechkin was sitting on 339. Matthews currently 363 (6 games remaining). Gretzky had 543.

In Matthews favour is that Ovechkin had one of his 27-30 seasons shortened by a lock out. Ovechkin still put up 186, which isn't too shabby at all. So Matthews has a chance to add to that and keep a higher career pace, which I think will be needed to help later in his career.

After Matthews, I don't think we see anyone get close to accomplishing what he is doing. Pastrnak, Draisatil and McDavid are the next younger active scorers clustered together. Even then, they are older and Matthews has passed each of them.