National Post (National Edition)
Just two years into his NHL career, Connor McDavid is relishing his role in making the Oilers better.
OILERS STAR IS BUSY PADDING OTHERS’ STATS, AS ‘HE LIKES GUYS TO SCORE’
In hindsight, Connor McDavid probably should have just shot the puck himself. That’s what his coach and general manager were thinking at the time. And that’s what his teammates were expecting him to do.
“I think Connor will tell you that 21 guys were yelling, ‘Shoot,’” said Edmonton Oilers head coach Todd McLellan.
Heck, even The Great One, who was sitting high up in the press box on Wednesday night, thought McDavid literally passed on a chance to score what would have been a career-high 17th goal of the season when he and Leon Draisaitl played giveand-go — with McDavid adding a somewhat unnecessary “give” for the opening goal in a 4-0 win against the Anaheim Ducks.
“He could have shot it,” a smiling Gretzky told Postmedia News after the game. “But it’s maturity. Eventually he’ll get bored with passing and want to score goals and be selfish.”
For now, the opposite seems to be true. In just his second season in the NHL, the 20-year-old captain is already the best offensive player in the world, with a league-best 57 points in 50 games heading into Thursday’s contest against the San Jose Sharks — and after that, the all-star game in Los Angeles. But apparently that’s not enough for a player who seems more concerned with padding everyone else’s stats than his own.
After all, it’s somewhat easy for great players to put up great numbers. It takes a special player to make sure those around him are putting up similar numbers.
That’s what Gretzky did with Bernie Nicholls and countless others over and over again during his career. And it’s what McDavid, who has 41 assists, is doing this season with Draisaitl and Patrick Maroon.
“Everyone says, ‘How does he do it?’” Maroon said of his own breakout season. “I don’t just skate around and expect (McDavid) to pass the puck to me. I don’t do that. There’s a lot more to it.”
Well, that’s debatable. While McDavid called Maroon “a really good player” who “might be one of the best forecheckers in the league,” there is a limit to his skill set. After all, Maroon had previously never scored more than 11 goals in a season; he had 21 over the last three years combined. This season, he already has 18.
Draisaitl, whose second goal on Wednesday came from an uncredited third assist by McDavid, said “playing with Connor makes it a lot easier” because “he likes guys to score.” In his third season, the Oilers’ third overall pick (2014) leads the team with 19 goals — matching his rookie total — and is tied for 13th in league scoring with 44 points.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Patty,” said McLellan. “But playing with Connor helps. He has a tendency to make players around him better and that’s what superstars do. He’s been doing that for us now for a year and a half.”
Last year, he did the seemingly impossible, turning Nail Yakupov into a productive NHLer — something four different coaches couldn’t manage. Yakupov had 10 points in 13 games before McDavid injured his collarbone. In the 15 games apart, Yakupov had just four points, providing evidence that partners actually do suffer from sympathy pains.
But McDavid’s been making others better for much longer than that.
When he was a 15-year-old rookie in the Ontario Hockey League, overage player J.P. Labardo scored a whopping 62 points, up from 19 points the previous season. A year later, Dane Fox scored 64 goals in 67 games — more than he had scored in four previous years combined. Today, Labardo is out of hockey and Fox is playing in the ECHL.
“Labardo was a good, hard-working character guy,” said Sherry Bassin, then the GM of the Otters. “But he was at the right place at the right time. Dane Fox, I remember setting him aside and saying, ‘just get open and he’ll get you the puck.’ Every player was in awe of him.”
And yet, there’s still more to give. He could be battling Sidney Crosby for the Rocket Richard Trophy if he wanted to be more selfish. After all, he ranks in the top-20 in shots on goal, with onlookers convinced he never actually shoots the puck.
“He leads the league in scoring and you watch him night to night and you think he probably could have another five to 10 goals,” said Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli, “He’s just going through the normal maturation process for a 20-year-old. So he’s getting stronger and he’s getting more confident. He’s an amazing player, so that’s coming out. He’s only getting better.”
Gretzky is just as impressed. Although others have rolled their eyes at the rush to compare McDavid and Crosby, he said “it’s never premature” based on the early returns.
It’s not just the points. It’s the points he’s leaving on the table, which could make Edmonton a free-agency destination. As Maroon said, “a lot of people are going to want to sign here now.”
“He’s everything you want in the captain of your hockey club,” said Gretzky. “You can see it in the team. It’s become a team now. Obviously, there’s that one guy that the team looks to in taking the pressure off when you’re on the ice and off the ice, and he’s that guy. To be 20 years old and be that mature, you’ve got to give him and his parents a lot of credit.”
HE’LL GET BORED WITH PASSING AND WANT TO SCORE GOALS.