8 NHL Players Who Could Turn into a Franchise GOAT

Becoming a franchise GOAT (Greatest of All Time) is a unique honor for an NHL player. Put simply, it means there has been no one better for their team throughout its history.

For some clubs, there is no question who their greatest player is. For example, many stars have played for the Edmonton Oilers, but Wayne Gretzky is their franchise GOAT. While several outstanding players have skated for the Boston Bruins throughout their long history, Bobby Orr remains untouchable as their all-time great.

On some other teams, however, a current player could one day become their GOAT. Some, like the Vegas Golden Knights' Jack Eichel, play on a club that's only been in existence for a short time. Meanwhile, someone currently with a club with a longer history, such as the New Jersey Devils' Jack Hughes could go on to become their greatest player.

Eichel and Hughes are among our list of eight active NHL players who have an opportunity to become franchise GOATs. Performance and awards are factored into this compilation.

Do you agree or disagree with our choices? Let us know in our app comments section.

The Seattle Kraken entered just their third season of existence in 2023-24. As a result, their all-time single-season and franchise stats aren't that high. However, they have a promising young forward with the potential to set new team scoring records while making himself their franchise GOAT.

Drafted second overall by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL draft, Matty Beniers made a 10-game debut with the club late in its inaugural season, netting nine points. That served to heighten expectations of the young center as a potential franchise player.

Beniers didn't disappoint in his full rookie campaign last season. Leading all rookies with 57 points, he became the first player in the Kraken's short history to win an NHL individual award by taking home the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.

Now in his sophomore season, the 21-year-old Beniers is finding himself the subject of far more attention from opposing checkers compared to a year ago. He's currently sixth among Kraken scorers with 14 points in 25 games.

Despite those struggles, Beniers is already among the Kraken's franchise single-season leaders and their all-time scorers. He still hasn't reached his playing prime yet. Should he develop as projected, he could become their greatest player in franchise history.

Rick Nash is the current Columbus Blue Jackets GOAT. In his nine seasons with the franchise from 2002-03 to 2011-12, he's their leading scorer with 289 goals and 258 assists for 547 points. A finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2003, he shared the Maurice Richard Trophy the following season with Calgary's Jarome Iginla and Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk.

It's been a long time since the Blue Jackets had a home-grown star such as Nash. Adam Fantilli, their first-round pick (third overall) in the 2023 NHL draft, could become the one who outshines him.

Only 19 years old, Fantilli made the Blue Jackets roster this season and hasn't looked out of place among more experienced NHL players. The 6'2", 194-pound center sits fourth among Jackets scorers with 16 points in 29 games. He's also tied for second place with the New Jersey Devils Luke Hughes for second among this season's rookie scorers.

Before joining the Jackets, Fantilli was a standout in the NCAA, winning the 2023 Hobey Baker Memorial Award. He possesses a great shot, solid playmaking ability and impressive two-way skills. He's only going to get better as he matures and becomes more accustomed to the NHL pace.

Given his youth and potential, Fantilli has the opportunity to become the greatest player in Blue Jackets history. Leading them into Stanley Cup contention would be every bit as important as breaking Nash's scoring records. If he achieves both, they'll build a statue of him one day outside Columbus' Nationwide Arena.

Chosen by the Buffalo Sabres second overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, Jack Eichel totaled 139 goals and 216 assists for 355 points in 375 games in his six seasons with the franchise. However, those totals didn't even put him within the top 10 of their all-time scorers.

Eichel, however, has an opportunity to become the greatest player in the short history of the Vegas Golden Knights. Traded to Vegas in November 2021, he's become their most dangerous scoring threat.

In his first full campaign with the Golden Knights in 2022-23, Eichel was their leading scorer with 66 points in 67 games. He also distinguished himself in his first-ever playoff appearance by leading all scorers with 26 points in 22 games helping his new club win their first-ever Stanley Cup.

Eichel sits eighth among the Golden Knights' all-time single-season assist leaders with 39 and sixth among their single-season points leaders. He's already ninth in total goals (53) and 10th in total points with 122. This season, he's once again their leading scorer with 31 points in 28 games.

With two more seasons on his current contract, Eichel is bound to move up higher on those lists. If he and the Golden Knights agree to an extension, he'll have an excellent opportunity to become their all-time scoring leader as well as their franchise GOAT.

Daniel Alfredsson is considered to be the greatest player in the history of the Ottawa Senators. On Nov. 26, 2015, the Ottawa Sun's Don Brennan had him atop his list of the 25 top Senators of all time. The former Ottawa captain is their franchise leader with 426 goals, 682 assists and 1,108 points.

There is one current member of the Senators who has the skills and potential to unseat Alfredsson as the franchise GOAT. That would be Tim Stützle, a dazzling, game-changing center who was their first-round pick (third overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Stützle wasted little time establishing himself as a rising star with the rebuilding Senators. He followed up a respectable 29-point rookie effort in 2020-21 with a 22-goal, 58-point sophomore campaign followed by a 39-goal, 90-point break performance last season. He became just the fifth player in franchise history to reach the 90-point plateau.

Turning 22 on Jan. 15, Stützle has yet to reach his playing prime. He's off to a fine start to this season, leading the Senators with 26 points in 22 games. The young German playmaker will be in Ottawa for a while as he's in the first season of an eight-year contract.

With 79 goals and 124 assists for 203 career points, Stützle's assault on the Senators all-time scoring records will take time. If he maintains his current level of production, he could be within range once his current contract expires. Leading the Senators to a Stanley Cup along with winning one or two individual awards could also put him in line for the GOAT title.

The present-day version of the Winnipeg Jets' all-time greatest players include several who played for the club during its previous version as the Atlanta Thrashers. The stats of Hall-of-Famers like Dale Hawerchuk and Teemu Selanne belong to the Arizona Coyotes after the original Jets were relocated in 1996.

Ilya Kovalchuk holds the current Jets' all-time goal record (328) while Blake Wheeler (who played in Atlanta and Winnipeg) is their all-time leader in assists (550) and points (812). However, a current player who has only played for the club in its current incarnation could have a chance to become their GOAT.

A good case can be made for center Mark Scheifele and goaltender Connor Hellebucyk. However, left winger Kyle Connor is fast making a name for himself as their best player.

In his eight NHL seasons, Connor has become the Jets' most reliable scorer. He's led them in points in three of the last four seasons (2019-20, 2021-22, 2022-23), including a career-best 47-goal, 93-point output in '21-'22. That put him just five goals shy of Kovalchuk's single-season goal record (52) and seven points back of Marian Hossa's franchise-best 100 points.

At 27, Connor is in his playing prime, leading the Jets with 15 goals and sitting second in points with 26. Winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2021-22, he's a gifted, disciplined player.

Connor sits fourth among the Jets' all-time scorers with 226 goals, ninth in assists with 226 and fifth in points with 452. He still has a ways to go to catch Wheeler but has a good chance if he remains healthy, productive and playing in Winnipeg for several more seasons. Leading the Jets to the Stanley Cup would ensure his place as their GOAT.

During the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, The Athletic's Michael Russo staged a fan poll to determine the top 20 players in Minnesota Wild history to commemorate the club's 20th anniversary. Marian Gaborik topped the poll with longtime former captain Mikko Koivu sitting second.

That was also the season Kirill Kaprizov made his much-anticipated debut with the Wild. In just four short seasons, the 26-year-old Russian winger has already established himself among their greatest players.

Kaprizov won the Calder Memorial Trophy that season with 27 goals and 51 points in just 55 games. His sophomore season was even better, setting new single-season records with 47 goals and 61 assists for 108 points. Gaborik in his best seasons with the Wild never came close to that single-season points total.

In 2022-23, Kaprizov's production slipped to 40 goals and 75 points as injuries limited him to 67 games. Nevertheless, he finished as their leading scorer for the third straight season. He's currently second in team scoring with 23 points in 25 games.

Having set the single-season franchise scoring records, Kaprizov is also rising on the all-time Wild leaderboard. He's fifth in total goals with 122, within range of Gaborik's 219. He's also now ninth in total points with 257.

Breaking those records would certainly make the case for Kaprizov to be considered the Wild's GOAT. Leading them to a Stanley Cup would clinch it.

The New York Post's Larry Brooks considers defenseman and former captain Scott Stevens as the current New Jersey Devils' GOAT. Meanwhile, Nick Villano of the Devils blog Pucks and Pitchforks ranked goaltender Martin Brodeur as their greatest player of all time.

Convincing arguments can be made for both. However, Jack Hughes could eventually unseat them to claim the GOAT crown for himself.

A highly-skilled, dynamic forward, Hughes has the skills to become the Devils' greatest scorer at the very least. He set their single-season points record with 99 in 2022-23 while coming within four assists of Stevens' single-season assist record of 60. Despite missing five games to a shoulder injury this season, he's still among the league leaders with 33 points.

With 97 goals and 143 assists for 240 points in 264 games, the 22-year-old Hughes has a ways to go to break Patrik Elias' franchise records for most goals (408), assists (617) and points (1,025). However, if he remains healthy and productive he could one day exceed those benchmarks.

Breaking the Devils' scoring records won't be enough. Hughes must also lead his club to the Stanley Cup more than once as well as some individual hardware like the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy to be considered the GOAT by Devils fans. He's yet to reach his playing prime and could achieve those lofty heights before it's over.

During their Centennial Anniversary in 2016, the Toronto Maple Leafs named Dave Keon as their greatest player. Keon won four Stanley Cups, along with the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1961, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1962 and 1963 and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1967. He's also third among the Leafs all-time scorers with 365 goals and 858 points.

It may seem like sacrilege to Leafs fans to suggest that Auston Matthews could one day become the franchise GOAT. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old center already has an impressive resume in just eight NHL seasons that could see him rewrite the club's scoring records.

With 317 career goals, Matthews sits fifth among the Leafs' all-time leaders, putting him just 103 goals behind leader Mats Sundin. He's currently ninth among their points leaders with 569.

Matthews has also established himself among the NHL's elite stars. Like Keon, he's a Calder Trophy winner (2016-17). He's also a two-time winner of the Maurice Richard Trophy (2021 and 2022) and winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award in 2022. Matthews also holds the Leafs single-season goal record with 60.

Signed to a four-year contract extension in August, Matthews is committed to staying in Toronto and helping them win the Stanley Cup. If he accomplishes that along with other individual honors, including setting new franchise scoring records, the role of Leafs GOAT could be his.

Stats via NHL.com with contract info via Cap Friendly and additional stats via Hockey-Reference.com.