Connor McDavid's career-season going under the radar

Auston Matthews has deservedly received a lot of praise for his goal-scoring exploits this season but if points leader Connor McDavid passes the 50-goal mark, it will be the first time he's achieved that feat.

Video Transcript

JULIAN MCKENZIE: --Matthews, you made the impassioned plea earlier, Omar, about 51 and 50. He is approaching the 60-goal marker. Draisaitl has also hit 50. There's a few other guys who could also hit the 50-goal mark in a couple of days, Ovechkin at 45. McDavid, who's having a career-best season really, 42, Dollar Bill Kirill at 42, and Kyle Connor also at 42.

There's a few other guys who are also at 38, but there are some people who feel that that's not attainable for them. I think anything is possible, really. But we won't include them for this exercise.

Which of these four guys, in Ovechkin, McDavid, Kaprizov, and Connor, would be the most impressive to see them reach the 50-goal mark?

Avry, what do you think?

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: You know what? I'm going to go with Kyle Connor. He's a guy who has usually averaged, so far in his career, between 25 and 36 goals. He's never had more than 53 points in a season. So seeing Kyle Connor put up 42 I think is very impressive right now. And Winnipeg having an up-and-down year, he isn't the guy you would expect to be near 50 goals. I'm going to go to Kyle Connor, Winnipeg, this season.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK, what about you, Sam?

SAM CHANG: I'm going to sue Ovechkin just in furtherance of the overall record. Because he's really old and he notoriously doesn't take his training very seriously. Like I saw somebody tweeting about how like Nathan MacKinnon was probably having a meltdown knowing that Ovi has like his Rose pasta before every game.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Could you imagine?

SAM CHANG: I was like, yeah, you know what? It works for him. And it reminds me of how Lemieux used to be like, oh yeah, I stop eating french fries. That's his version of training. And it's kind of fun to see somebody who does that.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: You've got to remember, once upon a time, NHL players' off-season training was like baling hay in a barn.

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: Yeah.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: That's basically what it was. We've gone to sports science and all these other different things. Some guys are like Nathan MacKinnon and they will swear off In-N-Out Burgers. Or, sorry, no, he says he'll have one every now and again. I don't believe him for a second. Omar, who is the most impressive of all these guys, you think, if they had reached the 50-goal mark?

OMAR: Yeah I'm kind of along the lines of Avry. I feel like Kyle Connor getting that total would be sick. Also because if the Jets are still hunting for a playoff spot, they kind of need that to happen. [LAUGHS] So I think seeing Kyle Connor hit 50 would be a positive takeaway for Winnipeg Jets fans, who right now it seems like they're going to have a year of not being in the playoffs. So I think that that'd be pretty cool.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I am going to just take Connor McDavid. Because if he scores 50, and Avry, you can tell me if I'm wrong, it's going to be the first time he ever scores 50 in a season.

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: That's correct. Yes, Julian, it would be his first 50-goal season if he gets that mark. Which, with Connor McDavid, it can happen. With Connor it's possible.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah, absolutely. Like I get it, Auston Matthews deserves the praise that he gets for this year. Dude is having an incredible year and he deserves all the praise that he's getting. We're looking at all these other players in the National Hockey League and even Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton getting a lot of love.

Remember when were all fawning over Connor McDavid at the beginning of the year? Remember what we were cheering for him to get 100 points in 50-something games last year? Connor McDavid is on pace to have a career-best season and we're kind of not talking about it. But we're going to remember around the NHL Awards when it's like, oh yeah, remember when he torched the New York Rangers that one time?

OMAR: Oh yeah.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Let's not forget about the fact that Connor McDavid is the best player in the world for a reason. And he is having the best season of his career right now. And it would not surprise me in the slightest if this dude hit 50 goals before the end of the year. I think, of all these guys, it's easily Connor McDavid who would be the most impressive for me. Because he's never done it, he's never hit 50 goals.

OMAR: I think it's crazy how we're all desensitized to Connor McDavid. You know what I mean? It's like, when you were listing stats, it was like, yeah, OK.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah all right, McDavid.

OMAR: But then McDavid will still do things where it is like, holy flip, he's a video game cheat code. So yeah, it just speaks to the player that McDavid has been like the entire season. And again, it just so unfortunate.

Like, yes, Leafs fans and Oilers fans go back and forth all the time. But like there is no player I want to see living it up in the playoffs more than McDavid, man. I want to see him have those moments of just taking over games when those games matter. So I really hope they pull together, man.

As much as we like clowning-- you know, I was in some video I think Avry sent in about--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yes!

OMAR: When Draisaitl hit 50 goals, I was in it. Yes, yes I understand. So like as much as I clown on Draisaitl and stuff and say and say he's not a center-- winger can score goals, too. That was a joke. But as much as I clown on him, I think it's a damn shame that we've only had like one true year of Connor McDavid in the playoffs. So I hope that changes soon.