The Seven: McDavid's rookie mistake; the end is nigh for Canadian NHL teams

If only Connor McDavid played a full season – or closer to it.

McDavid has just one more game left in his inaugural NHL campaign and his numbers are awfully impressive, especially since he played for a poor Edmonton Oilers team.

The 2015 first overall pick has 48 points in 44 contests. He’s fourth among rookies in scoring despite playing a little more than half the amount of games. His points-per-game total of 1.09 is tied for second with Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn, behind only soon-to-be crowned Art Ross Trophy winner Patrick Kane.

In a perfect world, the Oilers centreman would have suited up in at least a dozen more games. Then the Calder Trophy would have been his with no – or almost no – questions asked.

That’s because the two players considered by most to be McDavid’s fellow rookie-of-the-year nominees, Chicago Blackhawks winger Artemi Panarin and Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere, have significant flaws in their seasonal outputs. As discussed on Thursday’s edition of the Marek Vs. Wyshynski podcast, Panarin and Gostisbehere aren’t exactly darlings when it comes to advanced statistics.

The knock on Panarin is that he’s been riding on the coattails of Kane while posting 74 points. The numbers bear that out. According to numbers compiled by stats.hockeyanalysis.com, Panarin’s Corsi-For percentage when the dynamic duo is together is 53 percent. It drops to 49 percent when he’s away from Kane. Panarin spends 79.3 percent of the time in the offensive zone when he’s on the ice with Kane and only 38.1 without him. In fairness, Kane’s numbers do fall, too, without Panarin.

As for Gostisbehere, he starts in the offensive zone 62.3 percent of the time, most among Flyers defencemen. This is by design. On the one hand, he’s a tremendous offensive player as his 16 goals and 44 points illustrate. But on the other, it’s done to shield him from the defensive zone. And, as podcast co-hosts Jeff Marek and Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski noted, the quality of competition Gostisbehere faces isn’t exactly top tier.

McDavid, on the other hand, is the de facto top pivot for the Oilers and draws the toughest defensive assignments. He also makes almost every player he plays with better.

If he had played a full season, McDavid could have been around the 90-point mark, the highest total since the post-2005 lockout offensive blip that saw Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby surpass 100.

We’ll never know for sure. But the advanced stats certainly indicate McDavid is the NHL’s top rookie.

Now for this season’s final edition of The Seven – a weekly look at the Canadian-based NHL teams. This week we’ll break things down from first to worst.

OTTAWA SENATORS

Trending – Another trophy chase involving a Canadian-based player is the one for the Norris. Two-time winner Erik Karlsson leads the defensive scoring race by seven points over San Jose’s Brent Burns and would get Denis Potvin’s vote.

Making his mark – Buddy Robinson scored his first NHL goal in a 3-1 win over the Atlantic Division-champion Florida Panthers on Thursday.

Dubious distinction – The Senators are right in that unenviable spot in the NHL standings. They’re 10 points out of a playoff spot and 19th overall, meaning it’s almost impossible they’ll pick inside the top 10 in the 2016 draft.

What’s ahead – The Boston Bruins are the Sens’ final opponent of the season on Saturday.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Trending – Not surprisingly, two of Montreal’s best players, Carey Price (knee) and P.K. Subban (neck) won’t make it back before the season comes to an end.

Making his mark – NHL All-Star Game MVP John Scott finally played his first game for the Canadiens after being acquired in a January trade.

Dubious distinction – This year, Subban pledged to give $10 million to Montreal Children’s Hospital and surprised children by turning part of that building into a winter wonderland for Christmas. Yet, he wasn’t the team’s nominee for the King Clancy Trophy, awarded for leadership and humanitarian contribution to his community. Captain Max Pacioretty was the choice instead.

What’s ahead – The Lightning are in Montreal on Saturday night.

WINNIPEG JETS

Trending – Prospect Kyle Connor, of the Michigan Wolverines, is up for the Hobey Baker Award. Postmedia’s Ken Wiebe reports Connor may turn pro and join the Jets next season.

Making his mark – Dustin Byfuglien scored with 10 seconds remaining as the Jets downed the Sharks 5-4 on Thursday.

Dubious distinction – Byfuglien’s goal extended Winnipeg’s winning streak to three games. The Jets are now in 25th place and picking up victories at the wrong time.

What’s ahead – The Jets close out the season in Los Angeles.

CALGARY FLAMES

Trending – Flames defencemen Mark Giordano and TJ Brodie aren’t planning to play for Canada at the world championship next month in Russia, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Francis.

Making his mark – Mikael Backlund recorded his first career hat trick in a 7-3 home win over Vancouver on Thursday.

Dubious distinction – The Flames hung with the powerhouse Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, but lost 5-4 on a goal by Jeff Carter 40 seconds into overtime.

What’s ahead – The Flames play their final game in Minnesota.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Trending – A man from Richmond, B.C., is suing the Canucks after claiming he was hit in the face with a puck during a 2014 game.

Making his mark – Before the Canucks were blown out by their western Canadian rivals this week, they picked up a pair of 3-2 wins in California. Jacob Markstrom recorded 36 saves in the first win over Anaheim, while Ryan Miller racked up 42 stops against Los Angeles.

Dubious distinction – A Willie Desjardins-led team will miss the playoffs for the first time ever in his 13 seasons coaching in North America.

What’s ahead – The Canucks host the Oilers on Saturday.

EDMONTON OILERS

Trending – The Oilers closed down Rexall Place by crushing Vancouver 6-2 on Wednesday. All the greats – and some not-as-greats – were there to celebrate afterwards.

Making his mark – Connor McDavid and Taylor Hall both made sure Wednesday’s game was memorable. Both had a goal and two assists in the big win.

Dubious distinction – The last Battle of Alberta at Rexall Place didn’t go as swimmingly, though. The Oilers were crushed 5-0 by Calgary, resulting in coach Todd McLellan venting his frustrations.

What’s ahead – The Oilers are in Vancouver for their finale.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Trending – So, apparently, Mike Babcock isn’t a huge fan of the salary cap.

Making his mark – The Leafs could have secured last place with a loss in Philadelphia on Thursday. Instead, they hurt the Flyers’ postseason chances with a 4-3 win. Defenceman Jake Gardiner had the overtime winner.

Dubious distinction – The battle for the basement with the Edmonton Oilers – and the best odds to win the draft lottery – wraps up Saturday. The teams are tied with 69 points, but the Leafs own the tiebreaker because Edmonton has more ROW wins (regulation and overtime).

What’s ahead – The Leafs visit New Jersey.

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