Whether it's the Canadiens and Maple Leafs reaching 7,000 games played, the Chicago Blackhawks nearing the most losses, or tight battles in wins between the Kings and Flames, there are a handful of trivial tidbits to follow in the NHL's all-time numbers this season.
What does it mean for an NHL franchise to reach an all-time milestone?
At first glance, it doesn't mean much. It doesn't bring that team any closer to winning hockey's holy grail. It doesn't count for any bonus points in the standings.
That doesn't mean it's pointless. What looks like nothing more than another piece of trivia is one more game of hockey history, one more win to celebrate or one more loss to analyze. It's another additional stat representing the memories these clubs continue to create for themselves and their fans.
In the 2023-24 season, some franchises will reach ground no other NHL club has before. There are others who can reach rare milestones and even more who are jostling for a higher spot in all-time rankings for wins or points. Without further ado, here are 10 storylines to watch in NHL all-time team statistics.
1. NHL's All-Time Games Leaders to Reach New Milestone
The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to play their 7,000th games in franchise history this season. The big day for the Canadiens is Jan. 27, 2024, in Pittsburgh against the Penguins, while the Maple Leafs play their 7,000th match on Feb. 10, 2024, in Ottawa against the Senators.
The Canadiens have one more all-time game played than the Maple Leafs, thanks to the 2019-20 season ending early due to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic – Montreal was at 71 games, while Toronto finished with 70.
2. Rangers, Penguins and Panthers Approach Milestones in Wins
The New York Rangers are eight wins away from becoming the fifth NHL team to reach 3,000 victories all-time. They've already put up 10 wins in 13 games to start the campaign and are 8-1-1 in their last 10 contests.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins are five wins away from being the ninth team to reach 2,000 victories. They also rank third in NHL history for the most goals-for per game, with 3.30, trailing only the Edmonton Oilers' 3.33 goals-per-game average and the Hamilton Tigers, whose 505 goals between 1919 and 1925 gave them a 3.37 goals-per-game rate.
In Sunrise, the Florida Panthers are three wins away from being the 26th squad to reach 1,000 victories. They recently saw captain Aleksander Barkov pass Jonathan Huberdeau for the most games played in a Panthers uniform and Sergei Bobrovsky pass John Vanbiesbrouck for the second-most wins as a Panthers netminder.
3. Flyers and Wild Join Rangers in Countdown to Grand Achievements in Points
On top of the quest for 3,000 wins, the Rangers can also crack 7,000 points in their franchise history if they get 56 points in 2023-24, which is probably more difficult not to reach at this point, considering they already have 21.
Only the Original Six teams surpassed 5,000 points so far, but the Philadelphia Flyers look to change that this season. They only need 66 points in this campaign to achieve that mark, so time will tell if that's too much to ask of this rebuilding squad.
It’s also very likely for the Minnesota Wild to get to 2,000 points, as they need 57 points this season to do so.
4. Chicago Blackhawks Can Take the All-Time Lead in Losses
Could the Chicago Blackhawks have the unwanted recognition of passing the Toronto Maple Leafs for the most losses ever? Not including overtime losses, they currently have 2,859 compared to Toronto’s 2,876, a difference of 17.
Last season, the Blackhawks finished with 28 more losses than the Maple Leafs, and Chicago's still rebuilding while Toronto's still trying to win a lot.
5. Flames and Islanders to Reach the Big 4,000 in Matches
The Calgary Flames and the New York Islanders are expected to reach 4,000 games played this season. The Flames get a Battle of Alberta at home on Jan. 20 for this occasion, while the Islanders mark this feat on Jan. 25 at the Canadiens. But both these franchises have other trivial races in the all-time rankings.
6. Can the Kings Catch the Flames?
The Los Angeles Kings already have the 12th-most points in NHL history, with 4,319. Despite having 46 more points than the Flames, Los Angeles still ranks 13th in wins. After the games on Nov. 10, the Kings only trail the Flames by four wins, and they're already four victories ahead of Calgary in 2023-24.
Calgary has a better points percentage overall, having played 382 fewer games than the Kings, but their expectation heading into the 2023-24 season was to bounce back from a mediocre last campaign, and they’re currently far from doing that. Losing out on 12th place all-time is nowhere near their top concern.
7. Canucks Make Ground on the Capitals in Points
The Vancouver Canucks could catch the Washington Capitals for the 15th-most all-time points, trailing them only by 16. But it's a tough task.
Just one month into the 2023-24 season, the Canucks have seven more points than the Caps, albeit with one more game played. Last year, Vancouver finished with three more points than Washington.
The Canucks are off to a red-hot start to the season, ranking third in the NHL. While they’re not expected to keep up this pace, they would finish with 132 points if they shockingly stay the course. Washington is on pace for 95 points, so it’s possible the Canucks will pass the Capitals in the all-time rankings at some point this season. That said, the Canucks have played 313 more games in their franchise history than the Capitals.
Who knows – Vancouver could even catch the Islanders if they somehow make up the 35-point deficit, which they are technically on pace to do.
8. Devils and Avalanche Are Neck-and-Neck in Wins
The New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche entered this season as teams to watch when the playoffs arrive, but they also have a tight race in all-time wins despite having a 100-point difference throughout their franchise histories.
New Jersey has 1,620 wins and 3,755 points compared to Colorado’s 1,619 wins and 3,655 points. Whichever team comes out on top gets the distinction of being a memorable... 17th place in NHL history.
9. Ducks Increase Lead on Senators in Victories, But Will Ottawa Overtake?
The 2007 Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks began this campaign only one win ahead of the '07 finalists, the Ottawa Senators. Twelve games in, the Ducks lead by three victories, but the Senators took a big chunk out of the deficit in 2022-23 when they finished the season with 16 more wins than Anaheim.
Right now, it's Anaheim's 1,051 wins to Ottawa's 1,048 for 24th and 25th place in the all-time rankings.
10. Vegas Golden Knights Work Their Way Up
The Vegas Golden Knights passed the Cleveland Barons in franchise points. Vegas has 600 to Cleveland's 599 points and has played 388 fewer games. The Golden Knights already have 50 more wins, but the Barons have 99 more one-point games than the Golden Knights.
Passing Cleveland puts the Golden Knights in 34th place for the most points, but they likely won't stop there. Expect Vegas to climb up to 31st place all-time and pass the St. Louis Eagles (607 points), Montreal Maroons (633 points) and Brooklyn Americans (637 points).
All the Golden Knights must do to take 30th place is to make a 1,099-point gap between them and the Columbus Blue Jackets disappear.
This article was originally published on Nov. 10, 2023, but was republished with updated stats on Nov. 11.
