EDMONTON -- With Connor McDavid continuing to achieve offensive milestones at an impressive rate, there is growing speculation on the heights the Edmonton Oilers captain eventually will attain.
McDavid became the fifth-fastest player to reach 900 points with five (one goal, four assists) in his 602nd game, a 5-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. The 26-year-old center has 903 points (317 goals, 586 assists) and is climbing the all-time points list.
"There is no ceiling, he's just a phenomenal, special, generational player," Oilers forward Zach Hyman said. "I think you have to compare him to his peers in the League now and it's not really close. It's pretty remarkable to see what he's done."
Wayne Gretzky is at the top of the all-time scoring list with 2,857 points (894 goals, 1,963 assists) in 1,487 games and it is not unfathomable to believe McDavid could become the second player in NHL history to reach 2,000 points. Jaromir Jagr is second all-time with 1,921 points (766 goals, 1,155 assists).
McDavid is averaging 1.50 points per game through his first nine NHL seasons. If he keeps that pace and plays as many games as Gretzky, the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft would finish with 2,230 career points.
McDavid will get an opportunity to increase his total when the Oilers host the Ottawa Senators at Rogers Place on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, CITY).
"He has 900 points and he's 26, that's pretty ridiculous," Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. "I was drafted the same year as [John] Tavares [in 2009] and he just hit 1,000 [points]. And when you think Connor is hitting 900, that's incredible and Tavares has had a really good career, really consistent with points and all that, so I feel that speaks volumes. You can't say much more than that, he's the best player in the world and he shows it every night."
Entering the NHL, McDavid was touted as a generational player and the Oilers were given the opportunity to select him by winning the 2015 NHL Draft Lottery. Edmonton had an 11.5 percent chance of winning and moved up two spots to No. 1, ahead of the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes.
McDavid had 48 points (16 goals, 32 assists) in 45 games in his rookie season, which was disrupted by a broken clavicle sustained in his 13th game of the season when McDavid slammed into the end boards during a 4-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers. He missed 37 games because of the injury and finished third in voting for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year, behind Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Chicago Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin, who won it.
McDavid went on to average 114 points during the next seven seasons and is on pace for 130 points this season.
"I thought it was impossible in today's day and age to do that and he seems to raise the bar on what we see as possible," Oilers forward Sam Gagner said. "He's a point-a-game in his first 10 games and that's incredible in this league, but everyone is questioning, what's going on? He's a special player, a generational player, and I think we have to realize how lucky we are to be witness to it every night.
"I consider myself very lucky to get to see it on an everyday basis. I'm a fan of the game and I enjoy seeing greatness in our game and when you get to see it every day, practices, games, the way he trains and prepares, all of it. I'm very fortunate to be able to see that."
McDavid is driven by his desire to win. He has won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL leading scorer five times (2016-18, 2021-23), including each of the past three seasons, the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player three times (2016-17, 2020-21, 2022-23) and Ted Lindsey Award as most outstanding player as voted by his peers four times (2016-18, 2020-21, 2022-23), but still is looking for his first Stanley Cup championship.
