Look Out NHL, Connor McDavid Is Heating Up

It's safe to say Connor McDavid's ankle is feeling fine.

McDavid had one of the worst months of his career in October, with just 3 goals and 10 points in 10 games before leaving a game against Columbus with an ankle injury on October 28th. At the time, there was real concern that the injury might hold him out for an extended period and potentially torpedo the Oilers' season.

Less than a month later, all those concerns look quaint. McDavid missed only three games and has absolutely lit the league on fire since his return.

McDavid has been almost unstoppable since being kept off the scoresheet in his return to the lineup against Vegas. With another three-point night on Saturday, he's scored 8 goals and 18 points in his past 8 games, including four games with at least three points. For those of you counting at home, that's an 82-goal, 185-point pace over a full season.

This eight-game hot streak has vaulted McDavid back into his rightful place among the league's very best. Only two other players have matched his 18 points in 8 games this season: current points leader Nathan MacKinnon and breakout Carolina Hurricanes star Martin Necas. And neither of those players scored as many goals over that span as the Oilers captain (3 for MacKinnon, 6 for Necas).

McDavid is also now firmly in the race for the Art Ross Trophy. He sits tied with Jesper Bratt and childhood friend Dylan Strome for 10th in the league with 28 points, seven back of MacKinnon for the league lead. Making up a seven-point deficit in 60 games is a tall order when chasing down a player like MacKinnon, but it's absolutely within the realm of possibility for the best player in the world.

Not only is this eight-game stretch not the best of McDavid's career, it's not even very close. His peak came at the tail end of the 2021 bubble season when he tallied 23 points in eight games to get himself up above 100 points in a 56-game season. He hit 22 points just last season in an eight-game stretch that started exactly a year ago, on November 24th, 2023.

Far more likely than catching MacKinnon is McDavid catching up to Leon Draisaitl for the team lead in points. He's now just two behind Draisaitl, who himself leads the NHL in goals with 16. It's been a rollercoaster year in Edmonton thus far, but after all that, it's entirely possible that the Oilers end up with the Art Ross and Rocket Richard winners at the end of the season.

After becoming the fourth-fastest player to 1,000 career points earlier this year, Connor McDavid is already well on his way to joining Wayne Gretzky in the 2,000 club.

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