2019-20 NHL season could be filled with milestones

The 2019-20 NHL season begins Wednesday, and in the coming days, weeks and months, there could be plenty of players reaching milestones. Here's a look at some which could occur.

GOALS

700: Alex Ovechkin -- The Washington Capitals captain can become the eighth player in NHL history to reach 700 goals if he scores 42 this season. Ovechkin, who led the League with 51 goals last season, has scored at least 42 goals in 10 of his 13 full NHL seasons.

450: Sidney Crosby -- The Pittsburgh Penguins captain became their all-time leader in games played (943) last season and ranks second in goals (446), assists (770) and points (1,216), trailing Mario Lemieux in each. Crosby should score his 450th goal early in the season.
400: Steven Stamkos, Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Kane -- Stamkos is seven goals from 400 after the Tampa Bay Lightning forward scored 45 last season. Malkin needs nine goals to join Crosby, Jaromir Jagr (439) and Lemieux (690) as the only Penguins players to reach the mark. Kane has an outside shot to get there this season. The Chicago Blackhawks forward needs to score 44 goals, his total from last season.

POINTS

1,500: Joe Thornton --The San Jose Sharks forward needs 22 points to become the 14th player in NHL history to reach 1,500. Thornton had 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 73 games last season and hasn't scored fewer than 36 points in a full season since he had seven in 55 games as a rookie with the Boston Bruins in 1997-98.

1,300: Crosby, Ovechkin --If Crosby gets 84 points this season, a total he's reached in each of the past six seasons, he'd get to 1,300. Ovechkin, who's five points behind Crosby (1,211), would need 89, a total he's reached once in the past nine seasons (2018-19).
1,000: Eric Staal, Kane, Ryan Getzlaf --Staal, who has missed one game in the past four seasons, needs 26 points to reach 1,000, a milestone he should reach in the first half of the season with the Minnesota Wild. Kane needs 62 points for 1,000, which should be a lock considering he has scored at least 64 points in each of his 11 full NHL seasons. Getzlaf, who is the Anaheim Ducks leader in assists (662), would need 77 points to reach the milestone, something he hasn't done since he had 87 in 2013-14.

GAMES PLAYED

1,600: Thornton --The 40-year-old center could become the 12th player in NHL history to reach 1,600 if he plays in 34 games. Thornton missed nine games last season and 35 in 2017-18, but he missed 12 games total in the previous 11 seasons.
1,500: Zdeno Chara -- The 42-year-old Boston Bruins defenseman, who is the oldest active player in the League, has played in 1,485 games in 21 seasons. Chara, who is also the longest-tenured captain in the NHL (since 2006-07), would be the 21st player in history with 1,500 games played.

GOALIE WINS

450: Henrik Lundqvist -- The New York Rangers goalie is one victory away from becoming the sixth in NHL history to reach 450 wins. With six wins, Lundqvist, who is entering his 15th season, would pass Curtis Joseph for fifth place in League history.

COACHING WINS

900: Joel Quenneville --Hired by the Florida Panthers on April 8, Quenneville is 890-532-137 (with 77 ties) in 1,636 games with the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche and Blackhawks. Quenneville needs 10 wins to join Scotty Bowman (1,244) as the only coaches in NHL history with at least 900 wins.
700: Paul Maurice, Mike Babcock, Alain Vigneault -- In 21 NHL seasons, Maurice is 695-619-116 (with 99 ties) in 1,529 games with the Winnipeg Jets, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs and Hartford Whalers. In 16 NHL seasons, Babcock is 691-408-160 (with 19 ties) in 1,278 games with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Detroit Red Wings and Maple Leafs. Vigneault, hired as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers on April 15, has coached 1,216 games in 16 seasons with the Rangers and Vancouver Canucks (648-435-98 with 35 ties) and has an outside chance to reach the milestone this season with 52 wins.