Today’s NHL Players: What Separates the Best from the Rest?

Well, here’s a tidy little hockey lesson hiding in the graphic below. It’s not just about who gets to 1,300 points. It’s about how quickly they get there—and what kind of player can keep producing long enough to reach that number.

Nathan MacKinnon became the eighth active player to reach 1,300 total points (regular season & playoffs) and fourth fastest among that group to hit the milestone.#NHLStats: https://t.co/KFP9hqS14q pic.twitter.com/fDchKWI5n6

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) October 24, 2026

No Surprise, McDavid Is the Best Point Producer of His Era

Connor McDavid is far ahead at 847 games. Sidney Crosby is next at 1,023, then Nikita Kucherov at 1,035, Nathan MacKinnon at 1,069 and Evgeni Malkin at 1,130. That gap is the first thing you notice. McDavid reached the same milestone hundreds of games sooner than Malkin. That doesn’t make the others any less remarkable; it shows just how unusual McDavid’s scoring pace has been.

Now, a small but important footnote: the graphic combines regular-season and playoff points. So this isn’t a straight comparison of how many games each player took to reach 1,300 regular-season points. Playoff games count here, too—so the list rewards not only scoring, but also reaching the postseason and continuing to produce when the games matter most.

So What Makes These Five Current NHL Players So Special?

And that gets to what makes these players special. McDavid has the speed and puck skill to turn a routine rush into a scoring chance in a blink. Crosby is a master of balance, positioning and finding the right play in traffic. Kucherov sees passing lanes and attacking options that most players don’t spot until it’s too late. MacKinnon combines power and speed, while Malkin has spent years using his size, reach and creativity to make defenders uncomfortable.

Different toolkits, same result: they keep creating offence. They don’t all play the same way, and they don’t need to. The common thread is that they can take over a shift, make teammates better and produce across a long stretch of seasons.

A Look at Malkin, Who Can Sometimes Be a Forgotten Player

There’s another little surprise here: Malkin is fifth, but reaching 1,300 combined points at all is the achievement. Being fifth-fastest among this particular group is no knock. Longevity, playoff success and staying productive through different stages of a career matter, too.

So the graphic isn’t a final ranking of who’s “best.” It’s a snapshot of scoring speed among active stars. McDavid’s number is jaw-dropping, but the list reminds us that greatness can look different: blazing speed, clever passing, strength, patience—or just the knack for being in the right place when the game is on the line.

Related: Hyman Comments on McDavid’s ‘Video Game Numbers Right Now’