Connor McDavid - The Next "Great One?"

 

Connor McDavid - The Next "Great One?"

Connor McDavid has been one of the biggest superstars known to the National Hockey League since the hype around forwards Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Generational talents seem to come around every 10-15 years, and McDavid is no stranger to having the spotlight on him. He entered the league with high expectations, and he has delivered since his first game in the pros. This season, he is shattering numbers that legends like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux were putting up back up in the 1980s and 90s.

McDavid was a standout forward for the Erie Otters 

of the Ontario Hockey League, one of the highest ranked junior leagues in all of Canada. He spent three seasons with the Otters, totaling a total of 97 goals, 188 assists, and 285 points in just 166 games. He also added 25 goals, 43 assists, for 68 points in 34 playoff contests. He was a member of two of the World Junior

Championship teams for his native country of 

Canada, posting 15 points in 14 games across both

tournaments, helping them to a championship in 2015. He was the biggest prospect since 2005, 

where Rimouski Oceanic forward Sidney Crosby

impressed scouts all over the nation. 

McDavid was drafted first overall in the 2015 

NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, a team who struggled heavily in the late 2000s and early 

2010s. In his rookie season, he posted 48 points in 

45 games, until he was sidelined the remainder of 

the season with a shoulder injury in a matchup 

against the Philadelphia Flyers. In his sophomore season, he was named team captain at just 19 years old. He managed to put up three consecutive 100-point seasons after his rookie campaign. 

In his career, McDavid has racked a number of awards, accolades, countless records, etching his name into the history books in many different ways. Here is the list of awards he has received from the league: five Ted Lindsay Awards (NHL MVP Selected by NHLPA), one Maurice Richard Trophy (NHL Most Goals), six Art Ross Trophies (NHL Most Points), three Hart Trophies (NHL Most Valuable Player), and a Conn Smythe Trophy (MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs). He has also led the NHL in assists five times in his career, reaching 100 in the 2023-24 season. 

Before the 2026-27 season, he amassed a total of 409 goals, 811 assists, for a total of 1,220 career points; all before the age of 30. Out of his 11 full seasons, he has reached the 100-point mark 9 times, with his highest in a single season being 153 in 2022-23.

The 2026-27 season for McDavid has been nothing short but legendary just nine games in. He has posted 6 goals and 20 assists for 26 points in that span. He is on pace for a whopping 187 assists and 243 points; both would be league records in a single season if he was able to reach those numbers. The record for each is held by Wayne Gretzky, the greatest player to ever lace up the skates. The assist record stands at 163, and the point record at 215; both done in the 1985-86 season. 

If McDavid were able to somehow reach the Great One's records, it would be something the league has never seen before; or even thought was possible. Gretzky held the all-time goal record with 894 in his career, until Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin passed him with his 895th career goal in a game against the New York Islanders in the 2025-26 season. That begs the question: Is McDavid the only player in the current era that has what it takes to attack Gretzky's single season point record? Time will tell. It is a long 84 game season, and McDavid will have to continue the run he is on, along with staying healthy enough to compete at such a high level.