Evgeny Kuznetzov makes surprising comments on Alex Ovechkin's hunt to break Wayne Gretzky's goal record

With the 2024-25 NHL season around the corner, one of the storylines that will attract a lot of attention is, without a doubt, Alex Ovechkin's quest to break Wayne Gretzky's goal record.

Ovechkin, who has two years left on his contract with the Washington Capitals, needs only 41 goals to tie the legendary mark of 894 goals.

In the 2023-24 season, the 38-year-old forward scored 31 goals, proving that he still has what it takes to produce offense in the NHL.

Even though many people doubt that the Russian player will be able to score 20 goals or more in each of the next two seasons, his former teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov thinks and hopes that Ovi can break Gretzky's record.

Kuznetsov, who signed in the KHL after spending the past 11 years in the NHL, hopes that his former teammate will break it next season so that "he won't suffer anymore next year."

Per Russian Machine Never Breaks:

Here, Kuznetsov likely refers to the fact that Ovi "suffers" because he's constantly being asked about the record by the media and the pressure of breaking it.

With the season starting in a month, we should know soon enough if Ovi can return to his usual rhythm. If so, it wouldn't be surprising to see him break the record at the end of the season or at the beginning of the 2025-26 season.

Source: Russian Machine Never Breaks
Evgeny Kuznetsov wants Alex Ovechkin to break Wayne Gretzky's goal record this season ‘so that he won't suffer anymore'

Source for Alex Ovechkin's statistics: Hockey DB