Connor McDavid's torrid points pace seems to have everyone talking.
Including a pair of former Edmonton Oilers who saw Wayne Gretzky's brilliance up close.
"The Great One" is the only player in NHL history to eclipse 200 points in a season, doing so four times in a five-year span — last done in 1985-86 — but the Oilers' current superstar is making quite the case to join Gretzky's exclusive group.
McDavid entered Friday with 49 points (11 goals, 38 assists) through the first 20 games of the season, putting him on pace to finish the regular season with 206 points — which would surpass Gretzky's 205 (1983-84) for fourth-most in NHL history.
And while there's plenty of time between now and the end of the year, McDavid's start has many around the league believing in his chances.
"There’s no reason why not. I can’t think of one,” five-time Stanley Cup champ with the Oilers and Hall of Famer Jari Kurri told NHL.com. “He might slow down here and there, but he might come back again. It’s a long season and it’s a lot of games, a lot of travel, but hopefully he stays healthy.
“And, sure, if he stays healthy and keeps playing like that, I’m sure he will.”
Esa Tikkanen, who also played alongside Gretzky, echoed those sentiments: “When the games come later in the season, they’ll be tougher and it’s going to be harder and harder all the time. I think he has a good chance, but there are still 60 games left. So there’s a long way to go, but if he’s healthy, he can do it.”
McDavid's previous highest-scoring season came in 2022-23, when he racked up 153 points (64 goals, 89 assists) through 82 games and took home his third Hart trophy, his fifth of six Art Ross trophies and his lone Maurice Richard trophy.
The 30-year-old has eclipsed the 100-point plateau through nine of his 11 seasons, and is on pace to do so yet again in 2026-27.
“Right now, Connor McDavid is one of the greatest players in the National Hockey League,” Tikkanen added. “If he had played in our time, I don’t know because we had it's a little bit rougher, but right now, he’s one of the greatest skaters and he’s doing whatever he wants out there."
And McDavid's strong play has done plenty for Edmonton's prospects this season, with the Oilers sitting first in the Pacific Division with a 14-3-3 record.
He's still chasing his first Stanley Cup title after his two previous back-to-back trips to a Final ended with losses to the Florida Panthers.
“I think he’s so motivated right now,” Kurri said. “He so much wants to win, and he does it night after night. He lost twice in the Final, and I know when you lose in the Final how much it hurts. But he bounced back and he wants that. He was so close and it drives him so much.”
