Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid earns All-Star nod for the Pacific Division

The 2023 NHL All-Star Game rosters have been announced and Connor McDavid was selected to represent the Edmonton Oilers. This would mark his sixth appearance at the All-Star Game and this season of all his seasons so far has been nothing short of phenomenal.

McDavid’s 2022–23 all-star worthy performance

McDavid closed out last season with one of the best individual playoff efforts of the modern era, and he did not miss a single beat heading into the 2022–23 season. While the Oilers have struggled to follow-up on the play that got them to the Western Conference Final, the Oilers captain has been an offensive dynamo for the ages.

Prior to the Oilers’ game against the New York Islanders, McDavid has scored 73 points in 39 games. He has 33 goals and 40 assists. He should be a frontrunner for several NHL Awards by season’s end.

McDavid’s 73 points is tops in the NHL with teammate Leon Draisaitl coming second with 58. His 33 goals is also tops, leading breakout star Tage Thompson by three goals. Lastly, his 40 assists has him tied for second with Erik Karlsson, as Nikita Kucherov leads with 41.

To give extra context, McDavid’s point pace has him clocking in 153 points over a full 82-game season. If he reaches that mark, he’d find himself in the top 16 all-time best individual seasons in the history of the league. Getting to the 150-point mark would put him in extremely exclusive company with Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Phil Esposito, and Bernie Nicholls as the only players in the NHL to ever reach that mark.

Even if he doesn’t reach that threshold, McDavid’s scoring pace has been torrid and he’s on track for one of the best individual seasons by any player. He should easily surpass Kucherov’s 128-point campaign in 2018–19 if he maintains his rate.

Bring on the rest of the season

McDavid will hope to lead the Pacific Division to all-star glory come February 3 and 4, but in the meantime he will be focused on righting the ship for the Oilers to get them into a healthier spot in the Western Conference standings.

Congratulations, McDavid!


Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire

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