5 milestones within reach this season

As a new season nears, a number of players prepare to chase history.

Here are five players who have the opportunity to reach career milestones, and in some cases, cement their place among the game's best.

Thornton on edge of 400

Arguably the best passer of this generation, Joe Thornton is about to eclipse a goal-scoring milestone. With just three more tallies, Thornton will reach the 400-goal mark, becoming the 96th player in NHL history to do so - if he gets there before another player on this list.

That's not the only record in reach for the big center. With 40 points, he can pass both Teemu Selanne and Stan Mikita for 14th on the all-time list, and if he manages to collect 34 assists, he'll move up four spots - passing Mario Lemieux, Marcel Dionne, Gordie Howe, and Steve Yzerman - for the eighth-most all time.

Malkin's pursuit of 1,000

Another strong campaign from Evgeni Malkin should see the Russian sniper eclipse the 1,000-point plateau.

The 32-year-old needs 70 points to hit the milestone. That would be a tall order for most players, but Malkin has failed to reach 70 points only three times in his career, and each of those seasons saw him limited due to injuries.

If Malkin can put up 30 goals, he will also reach the 400-goal mark.

Luongo climbing the all-time wins list

Florida Panthers netminder Roberto Luongo currently sits fourth on the all-time wins list, but he should leapfrog another legendary goaltender for the third spot.

With 14 wins, Luongo will move ahead of Ed Belfour.

While he was limited to just 35 games last season, Luongo put up strong numbers, rocking a .929 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average.

Luongo should have no trouble moving into third place, but it remains to be seen whether he has enough in the tank to one day challenge Patrick Roy and his 551 wins for second.

Staal joins Thornton at 400

The pressure will be on Thornton to be the first player this season to reach 400 career goals.

Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal is also in the hunt for 400 and needs just five goals to do so.

Staal has enjoyed a reawakening in his short time in Minnesota. Over the last two seasons, he's tallied 70 goals, including 42 last season, which were just three fewer than his career high he set back in 2006.

Lundqvist following in Luongo's footsteps

While Luongo will be focused on reaching third in goalie wins, Henrik Lundqvist will also be looking to make a jump up the all-time ranks.

The New York Rangers netminder currently sits eighth all time with 431 career wins, so with 24 victories, he would overtake Jacques Plante, Terry Sawchuk, and Curtis Joseph for fifth.

Last season, Lundqvist recorded 26 victories, which were the fewest he's managed in a full 82-game season in his career.