With this season being one to forget for the Pittsburgh Penguins on a team aspect, some players still have things to look forward to on an individual aspect. So far this season, we have already seen the big three pick up big milestones in their careers. Sidney Crosby reached 1,600 points, Evgeni Malkin reached 500 goals – in the same game as Crosby’s 1,600th point – and Kris Letang reached 1,100 games played.
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With all the attention usually on those three, it can be easy to overlook other’s achievements that they may have already hit, or are close to reaching. Players like Matt Nieto reaching 700 games in his NHL career as well as Michael Bunting reaching 300 games played and 200 points in his career are just a couple of examples. With 29 games remaining in the season, these players can still hit significant achievements in their careers.
Rickard Rakell
- 8 points away from 500
- 29 games away from 800
Coming into the season, Rakell had 449 points in 721 games played. The start of his season was not terrible, but it was not up to the level of play it should have been playing alongside Crosby. Through the first 26 games of the season, he had 10 goals and 15 points. However, his game has gone to a whole other level after being left off of Team Sweden for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Over the last 24 games, he has 13 goals and 27 points. Having been on such a hot streak, Rakell sits with 491 points in 771 games played. His points and games played can easily reach 500 and 800 respectively, should he be able to stay healthy. He is averaging 0.84 points per game, which means he could hit the 500-point mark in the coming weeks. Along with that, Rakell can hit 800 games played, becoming the 45th all-time Swedish player to achieve such a milestone.
Kris Letang
- 12 assists from 600
To say Letang has had a down season may be a bit of an understatement. Compared to seasons past, his point production is not where it usually is. Despite that, he is still within reach of 600 assists. Even playing a sluggish style of hockey, he sits just 12 assists away from reaching the milestone. It may leave questions if he can actually reach it this season or not, but I do believe he hits the mark.
Sidney Crosby
- 27 points away from 20-straight seasons with a point-per-game (P/G)
With all the milestones Crosby has reached this season, one would expect him to be done with them for the season. Reaching 1,600 points as mentioned before, breaking the all-time faceoff wins record, and tallying 600 goals in his career is not enough. In fact, none of those may be the most important to Crosby.
The one personal accolade he looks to break involves one of the game’s greatest players in Wayne Gretzky. Crosby has managed to secure a P/G in each of his 19 seasons, which tied him with Gretzky for most P/G seasons in NHL history. Sitting just 27 points away with 29 games remaining, he can be in sole possession of most P/G seasons in history, breaking a record set at the end of the 1997-98 season.
Other Milestones to Be Achieved
- Bryan Rust sits nine goals away from 200 in his career. Much like Rakell, Rust has been playing tremendously over the last two months. To begin the season, he had seven goals and 12 points in 19 games. In his last 26 games, he has posted 12 goals and 27 points, inching him closer to a new milestone in his career.
- Malkin has already reached a couple of milestones this season as mentioned before. He is eight games away from reaching another one. There is concern for the 38-year-old, however. Listed as week-to-week a few days ago by the Penguins, it is unsure when he will return to the lineup. Despite that, there is still plenty of time for him to record 1,200 games played. Reaching such a point in his career will make him just the fifth Russian-born player to play in 1,200-plus games.
- Alex Nedeljkovic has once again taken the reins as the starting goalie this season. With the opportunity, he has a better chance to reach 10 shutouts in his career. Though many may laugh when seeing this due to how the team has been playing. He is currently one shutout back of active United States goalies Anthony Stolarz and Charlie Lindgren.
- Matt Grzelcyk has been an underrated player for the Penguins this season. Not entirely known for point production, he has hit a new career high with 27 this season. While it is an odd achievement to get, he can reach the 150 assists mark in his career this season with 14 assists, should he be able to pick up the pace a bit. Just two games away, he will reach 500 games played.
Individual Achievements Are the Only Positive so Far This Season
With how bad the season has gone, the team is not looking as though they will be in a playoff spot come April. Finding positives to take from the season will be big, though not a ton can be taken from a team aspect. Individual players, however, may look at their season and be happy. Not based on performance levels, but on accomplishments.
