Getzlaf, Karlsson, Ovechkin and Crosby among the NHLers who can hit lofty milestones this year

As we approach training camps later this month, following shortly thereafter by pre-season action, it is becoming evident how close we are getting to the return of hockey!

This season will hopefully bring with it some semblance of normalcy, with fans returning to NHL arenas, though COVID-19 safety measures will still be in place to mitigate any potential outbreaks of the highly transmissible Delta variant that could cause delays again in 2021-22.

One thing that fans can certainly look forward to is that several players, including Ryan Getzlaf, Erik Karlsson, Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, are nearing some exciting milestones that they are almost certain to hit this year.

On Ryan Getzlaf, not only is the 36-year-old nearing the 1,000 points threshold, but he is also just 7 points away from passing "The Finnish Flash" Teemu Selanne for the franchise lead in points in Anaheim. Selanne is the current leader at 988 points, with Getzlaf sitting st number two with 982.

While not quite as exciting as Getzlaf's milestone, 31-year-old Erik Karlsson currently sits just 18 points shy of 500 career NHL points. There was a stretch there between 2013 and 2018 where it seemed like Karlsson could become the first defenseman since Brian Leetch to reach the 1000-point plateau.

Since that point, Karlsson has dealt with a litany of unfortunate injuries, which have limited his production - especially in the goals column.

Karlsson did manage to play almost every game in 2020-21, but put up his worst totals since his rookie season in Ottawa. In 52 games last season, Karlsson was limited to just 22 points.

On the Ovechkin front, the 35-year-old sits just 36 goals away from moving into a tie for 3rd place in the all-time NHL goals race with the great Jaromir Jagr.

The one thing that Ovi has done consistently well is score a lot of goals from his office at the top of the left circle. He was on pace for 43 goals again last season and if he can bring the same level of goalscoring consistency into this season, the chances are pretty good that he can not only tie Jagr for 3rd, but also pass him and take sole possession of 3rd place behind Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky.

As is often the case, you can't talk about Ovechkin without also mentioning Sidney Crosby. Sid "The Kid" is entering the 2021-22 season with a pretty good chance of reaching an impressive milestone of his own - 500 goals.

While it certainly doesn't stand out as much as Ovechkin's pursuit of 894, Crosby has always been more of a playmaker and has reached the 1300-point plateau in less games than Ovechkin.

Crosby currently sits just 14 goals shy of the 500-mark, but given the fact that he has surpassed that total in each of his last 9 seasons, it seems pretty likely that he gets the job done.

For a list of all of the other milestones that can be hit this season, see the source article below:

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