‘Pretty surreal’: Stamkos still filling the net and climbing NHL’s all-time goal list

“A lot of those players are guys I looked up to and idolized,” said Stamkos, who sits 13 goals back of Dave Andreychuk for No. 16 on the goal list. “Joe Sakic was a reason why I wore No. 19 as a kid growing up. It’s just so hard to comprehend it when you’re in the middle of it.

“You never thought you’d be there.”

Drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008, the centre scored 51 goals in his second NHL season, climbed to 60 in 2011-12, and has had six other campaigns with at least 40, including 42 with the Predators in 2025-26.

And despite his pedigree, the numbers and names still make Stamkos shake his head.

“It’s pretty surreal,” said the two-time Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goal-getter. “But when you’re in the moment, you’re just trying to do your thing and help your team win.”

The move to Nashville in the summer of 2024, however, was a challenging one after 16 years and a pair of Stanley Cup victories, plus another trip to the final, with Tampa Bay.

“He’s added to his game, and that’s hard to do,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. “It’s hard to do with the amount of success he had as an older player, to be able to adapt to your new team instead of your new team completely adapting to him.

“He’s found a way to score … he always has and he always will. Those scorers always find a way.”

Stamkos, who has 1,260 points across 1,249 games, said he only truly felt comfortable in Music City after arriving for his second training camp last September.

“Night and day compared to the first,” he said. “You know what to do, who to talk to if you have questions, where to go. It’s seamless now and just trying to help some of the newer guys that were in your shoes not too long ago. We’ve got a great group of guys in here. You want to build on something.”

The architect behind the scenes is general manager and president of hockey operations Chris MacFarland, who replaced Barry Trotz in June.

The former Colorado Avalanche executive went to work over the summer by infusing some younger options — including forwards Mavrik Bourque, Jack Drury and Nils Hoglander — into a veteran roster that missed the playoffs three of the last four seasons.

“He has a vision and the guys in this room trust that vision,” Stamkos, who has 50 goals and 51 assists in 128 playoff contests, said of MacFarland. “He’s been around the game for so long. He’s had a lot of success.

“We’ve added some really good NHL players. Not necessarily young guys that have no experience, but younger guys that have that experience at this level.”

It’s a level Stamkos has no intention of leaving any time soon with his 19th season underway.

“I still love coming to the rink, and I still love working to get better,” he said. “But certainly when you see a lot more guys that I grew up with retired or retiring, it starts to sink in a little bit.”

PETEY’S PUSH

Vancouver Canucks centre Elias Pettersson hasn’t lived up to the big-money deal he signed in 2024, but there are signs of life early in 2026-27.

The 27-year-old has two goals and four assists in four games after combining for just 96 points across 138 contests over his last two seasons. He is also leading the Canucks in hits with 19.

PRAISING OVIE

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin — the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer — announced Monday that this season will be his last in the league.

“His consistency is unmatched,” Stamkos said of the 41-year-old winger. “He was almost unstoppable, just physically unstoppable. His shot, his speed, his physicality. He had it all. You were almost scared to run into him on the ice. He was that intimidating in his prime.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

‘Pretty surreal’: Stamkos still filling the net and climbing NHL’s all-time goal list

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