The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2025-26 season is one of the most prominent examples of a rebuild gone right. The Penguins have incredible young players who have been fundamental in changing the narrative around the team, along with veteran leadership provided by the likes of Sidney Crosby and, of course, Evgeni Malkin.
Moreover, 39-year-old Malkin is at the cusp of an incredible achievement that will soon catapult him into the company of some of the greatest in the league.
Evgeni Malkin Closing In on 1,400 Career NHL Points
Malkin is a Penguins cornerstone who continues to defy expectations, even in his 20th season at 39. The standout forward has accumulated five points over the last five games, bringing his total career points to 1,398 over 1,263 games. As the Penguins fight tooth and nail to stay competitive and keep their postseason hopes alive, there is comfort in knowing that Malkin is also a proven playoff performer.
As he navigates this critical period of the season, the veteran forward is just two points shy of joining Mario Lemieux, Alex Ovechkin, Crosby, and a host of other NHL greats in the 1,400-point club. If Malkin reaches the milestone anytime soon, he will become the third active player in the league to have 1,400 points or more, besides Ovechkin and Crosby.
“Evgeni Malkin needs two points to reach 1,400 in the NHL. He’d be the 23rd player to get there and third active, joining Sidney Crosby (1,749) and Alex Ovechkin (1,675),” Penguins journalist Wes Crosby shared on X.
Among other notable players who have achieved this incredible feat in their careers are Gordie Howe (1,850), Jaromir Jagr (1,921), Mark Messier (1,887), Steve Yzerman (1,755), and, of course, Wayne Gretzky (2,857). However, when it comes to Gretzky, who still holds the record for most points in the history of the league, there is sufficient room for doubt that there will be another player who can outscore his record.
With 1,963 assists over his career, Gretzky would have led the all-time points leaderboard even if he had never scored a single goal. For perspective, Jagr, who is second to Gretzky in the all-time point leaders table, has 1,155 assists.
“On this date in 1994, Wayne Gretzky scored his 802nd career goal to pass Gordie Howe for the NHL record. He now sits second all-time behind Alex Ovechkin. But what really makes him “The Great One”? If Gretzky never scored a single goal, he’d STILL be the NHL’s all-time points leader,” ESPN Insights shared on social media.
Malkin will be in elite company when he scores 1,400 points, but right now, a deep postseason run and redeeming the Penguins’ reputation are what matter to him.
