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Famous for his explosive acceleration, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid is currently climbing the scoring standings at a rate unprecedented since the eras of Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky.
“It leaves you speechlessly searching for words,” remarked line partner Leon Draisaitl following a 6-5 victory against the defensively tough Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, a match in which McDavid registered his third five-point performance of this early campaign.
At 29 years old, McDavid has consistently belonged to the game’s upper echelon; following a debut 2015-16 year hampered by health issues, the center has finished near the top of the league leaderboard every year, securing the scoring crown six times to match Gordie Howe and Lemieux while remaining behind only Gretzky (a name you will see often).
Yet, as he navigates his 12th year in the NHL, he has elevated his play even further. Although the schedule is barely underway—merely 10 contests deep into an 84-game slate—McDavid’s scorching run has supporters and fellow competitors pondering what milestones number 97 could achieve before the year ends.
Is this peak McDavid?
“That question comes up constantly, and every time I answer affirmatively,” noted Oilers teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins following Thursday’s contest.
McDavid’s Early-Season Numbers
To begin with, the raw statistics: across 10 appearances, McDavid has racked up eight goals alongside 23 assists.
How remarkable is that tally? He currently holds a 10-point cushion over the nearest contender, who happens to be his line companion Leon Draisaitl. The top rival not directly benefiting from McDavid’s playmaking is Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights, sitting at 19 points despite having made two additional appearances.
McDavid’s assist total alone surpasses the total point count of every other player across the NHL. Furthermore, most of these setup passes are primary ones. In hockey statistics, a secondary assist is awarded to the player who completes the pass just prior to the final setup feed.
According to data from Moneypuck, a mere five of McDavid’s 23 assists were secondary setups. His total of 18 primary assists doubles that of his nearest rival, New York Rangers blueliner Adam Fox.
A Trajectory for the History Books
Consider his current trajectory.
This launch is historic (even if maintaining it seems nearly impossible). McDavid stands as just the fourth skater in NHL annals to reach 30 points within 10 contests, joining New York Islanders goal-scorer Mike Bossy, Lemieux (who needed even fewer matches), and Gretzky.
Whether he can maintain this blistering rate will be a central storyline throughout the campaign:
- Can McDavid turn into the quickest skater to hit the 100-point mark in a single campaign? Gretzky set the bar by doing so in 34 contests during 1983-84, meaning McDavid must sustain his current rhythm through mid-December.
- Might he become the inaugural player since Gretzky to accumulate 200 points within a single year? Achieving this would make him the only skater besides Gretzky—who accomplished the feat on four separate occasions—to ever reach that threshold.
- Could he potentially surpass Gretzky’s all-time record of 215 points set during 1985-86? In today’s NHL, where scoring averages nearly a full goal less per contest compared to four decades ago (3.08 today versus 3.97 back then, according to hockey-reference.com), McDavid’s current output projects to 260 points. Maintaining this output would also see him eclipse Gretzky’s single-season assists standard by approximately 30 helpers.
It is additionally remarkable that even if limited to 80 games—the standard schedule duration throughout most of Gretzky’s prime—his current scoring rate would still surpass those legendary milestones.
Simply cracking the top 10 single-season outputs in history, a slightly modest target yet still extraordinary, would require McDavid to gather at least 165 points to overtake Gretzky’s performance from 1980-81.
Gretzky holds eight of those top 10 individual seasons, while Lemieux claims the remaining two.
McDavid marks a goal scored by the Oilers in Los Angeles on October 13. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
While it remains a daunting challenge, McDavid’s fellow players believe he has not yet hit his ceiling.
“Growth happens naturally,” Draisaitl explained. “At 24, he possessed that same elite speed and flair, but certain subtle nuances in his game were still developing. Today, his play is fully rounded, and he hasn’t surrendered any of his offensive power.”
The next matchup for McDavid takes place this Saturday in Edmonton against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
