Will the top-10 all-time scoring list change much, or ever?

[GJB]

My prediction is that Crosby will get there, maybe even passes Sakic for 9th overall.

Ovechkin falls just short of the top 10. And after that, no one makes it in until McDavid.

 

[Gurglesons]

I think Sid does it. The Penguins seem like they will be a playoff team for the next couple years especially with new leadership after getting rid of all in Rutherford.

 

[Video Nasty]

Some potential to change over the next 2-15 years. Esposito has 1590 at #10. We have 3 current players who have a chance at 1600 points (Crosby, Ovechkin, and Thornton). Let's assume Thornton at nearly age 42 doesn't stick around for at least the two seasons needed to pass Esposito.

That means for any player, including McDavid, to crack the top 10, they likely have to pass Crosby (1600+) or Sakic (1641 if Crosby passes him). Can Ovechkin also become a part of the 1600 point club? Either way, if he is behind Sakic and Crosby, he can go no higher than #11.

With health, I think McDavid becomes the player to dismantle "Gretzky still has more points than anyone else in NHL history even if you took away all his goals."

I think he flirts with 2000 points when it's all said and done, so that would be a pretty big change. But if he doesn't, he has a better chance than not (with good health) of finishing anywhere inside the top 2-10.

If McDavid ends up ahead of Crosby in the future, that would then push Crosby back outside the top 10.

Other than that, there's no one obvious besides McDavid who will finish inside the top 10 when we look at the leaders in 2035-ish.

We've seen our top end scorers get more points over the last handful of seasons, so as long as the NHL doesn't bungle it again, we should be in a more point-conducive era for awhile and unknown players starting their careers in the next 3-10 years could start building their cases.

Look at the NBA and NFL as to how things can change in a hurry. There has been a concentrated effort to increase scoring in both over the past 5-10 years and thats why 8 of the top 11 all time passing leaders are either active or have retired no more than 6 years ago (Peyton Manning). Same goes with the individual season passing numbers.

Then the triple double being so frequent now in the NBA. Among the top 20 all time, 9 are active players and some have only been in the league for 3-6 seasons. Doncic has been in the league 3 years and played less than 200 games and already ranks 11th all time with 35.

Westbrook had 8 triple doubles in his first 6 seasons and just became the all time leader with 182 in his 13th season. Oscar Robertson's 181 career triple doubles, 41 in a single season, and averaging one for an entire season like he did in 1961-1962 were once considered unbreakable and unmatchable marks. In a short span of 6-7 years, Westbrook blasted past him for career totals, broke the single season mark, has 3 seasons of 34+, and clinched his 4th season of averaging a triple double for the entire year.

It's very shortsighted for some to think that certain records won't be touched or that there won't be an increased focus on offense that will allow players to accumulate points faster.

Perhaps the NHL returns to an environment someday where just the right talent comes along in the right environment and even challenges some of Gretzky's marks.