Leon Draisaitl wasted no time reaching a milestone on Wednesday.
Draisaitl came into the 2025-26 season only needing one more goal to hit the 400-goal mark, and he got it in what would be a bittersweet ending as the Edmonton Oilers blew a lead and lost 4-3 in the shootout to the Calgary Flames.
As he buried a cross-crease pass from David Tomasek in the second period, the 29-year-old became the 11th active player to reach 400 career goals, 111th player all-time, first German and the ninth-fastest player born outside of North America to do it.
While the biggest goal this season for Draisaitl is to finally hoist the Stanley Cup in June 2026, there's another milestone approaching that he will likely hit – even before he heads to Milan to represent Germany at the Winter Olympics. That is the 1,000-point mark.
Draisaitl currently sits at 958 career points and needs 42 more for 1,000. Considering he averages about 1.21 points per game in his career, he would reach the mark in his 36th game this season if he maintained that pace. But if we're going by his 1.49 points-per-game average from last season, he could get there in 30 games.
Either way, if he stays healthy, he could become a 1,000-point player in early to mid-December – but if he needs more time, the Oilers and Flames play back-to-back games on Dec. 23 and 27.
When he cracks the mark, Draisaitl will become just the fifth player to record 1,000 points in a career for the Oilers, just a season after his teammate and captain, Connor McDavid, became the fourth. Wayne Gretzky (1,669), Jari Kurri (1,084) and Mark Messier (1,034) are the others.
Game One: The Milestones That Matter More Than One October Loss
The Edmonton Oilers lost their season opener to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night, and that's the headline everyone will focus on. But if you zoom out for just a second and look at what actually happened on the ice beyond the final score, this game was packed with moments that matter far more than one loss in October.
Draisaitl's consistency has kept him remain in the conversation as one of the best players in the NHL. He's recorded 100-point seasons in his last four seasons and has shown no signs of slowing down. When McDavid has at times had brief slumps or been out of the lineup, Draisaitl has been able to take over the slack scoring-wise.
At only 29, just like McDavid, Draisaitl has a chance at rewriting a few more Oilers and NHL records well before his career comes to a close.
Watch Avry Lewis-McDougall's video column for more, and share your thoughts.
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