For years Connor McDavid has been the most dominant player in the NHL. He has been the face of the league and has put up unbelievable numbers with the Edmonton Oilers.
However, this season has been different. McDavid has still been great but has not been the best. The Edmonton Oilers captain is on pace to have one of his worst scoring seasons since his sophomore year (ignoring the years affected by COVID-19). What has caused his dip in dominance throughout the NHL?
McDavid’s consistent magic
Connor McDavid has consistently put up outstanding numbers season after season. He has scored over 120 points over his past three years which continued into the playoffs. In his playoff career, he is currently over an assist per game. This is amazing to witness as hockey fans rarely get to see someone dominate the postseason like McDavid.
In the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, we saw McDavid win the Conn Smythe Trophy for being the most valuable player in the playoffs. This was the first time since 2003 that someone on the losing team in the Stanley Cup Finals won the Conn Smythe. His stat line of 42 points in 25 games made him the easy favourite for the trophy.
McDavid’s consistent magic has been seen in his ability to take over hockey games and put up four to five-point performances. Shockingly, in the 2025 calendar year, McDavid has not had a four or five-point performance. Ever since 2025 began, McDavid has been putting up point-per-game numbers. In January he had 13 points in 11 games meanwhile in February he had seven points in eight games. These numbers are extremely low for the best player in the NHL. On average, he gets one assist a game and is unable to produce anything else. Has Connor McDavid had a dip in dominance? Or has the NHL understood how to shut him down?
Connor McDavid is exhausted
There is no doubt that the long intense playoff run from the Edmonton Oilers was exhausting—especially, with the heartbreaking finish. Prime Videos “Face-off: Inside the NHL” series gave access to how devastated the Oilers captain was after the loss. The matchup between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers was one of the best Stanley Cup Final of all time. To go through all of those intense hockey games just to fall short of the ultimate goal is mentally and physically draining. A quick two-month break after the Final did not give any players on the Oilers much rest. They needed to start preparing for the next season immediately.
Instead of having an All-Star break, the NHL gave hockey fans some international hockey in the 4 Nations Face-Off. This was phenomenal hockey to watch. Having this tournament instead of the All-Star Game gave hockey fans intense best-on-best hockey. McDavid had his star moments throughout the four games. In the first matchup against the United States, he scored a signature McDavid goal going end-to-end beating Connor Hellebuyck on the glove side. Later on in the championship game, McDavid scored the game-winning goal in overtime to take down the United States. This was the biggest goal for Canadian hockey since Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal in the 2010 Olympics.
Connor McDavid put himself into Canadian history once again, proving why he is such a special player. However, McDavid admitted that this tournament was exhausting. He quoted, “it felt like we were going from the dog days of the year right into a Stanley Cup Final—not that it’s the Stanley Cup Final, but that’s what it felt like.” Going from that exciting atmosphere back to regular NHL hockey must have been a tough change to make in the middle of the season. Does the Oiler superstar just need a break?
Things are not slowing down
Looking at the overall NHL standings, things will not slow down anytime soon for Connor McDavid. The Edmonton Oilers an in a close race for the top of the Pacific Division. Once again, they are battling with the rival Vegas Golden Knights for the best spot in the division. This was the case two years ago in 2022–23 when the Golden Knights won the division by just two points. As of right now, the Edmonton Oilers are currently five points behind the Golden Knights with 18 games remaining. Will they be able to catch them? Or is it another first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings?
The schedule ahead for Connor McDavid is not that bad. The Edmonton Oilers face a tough stretch to end the month of March but will be at ease in April. After losing to the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils, the Oilers will continue their road trip against both New York teams.
After this, some crucial home games will be played against the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, and Calgary Flames. These kinds of games down the stretch will prepare them for playoff hockey. Lots of eyes will be on the captain to heat up in the last half of the season. Should the Edmonton Oilers consider resting him in April? The team has three games against the San Jose Sharks and one against the Anaheim Ducks. These games would be a perfect opportunity to let the superstar get some much-needed rest.
Will Connor McDavid be able to turn things around? Or does he just not have the same magic this season?
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
Everyone seems to think that Connor McDavid is going downhill.
Many think he is either injured or wants to leave Edmonton.
Some are even suggesting to trade him in the off season to restock the Oilers cupboards with draft picks and a player or three.
What a load of crock!
If the Best Player on the Earth is not allowed to not be the “extremely best” in a year then we have gone beyond being human.
Yes , Connor McDavid has shown himself to be close to Superhuman.
And there lies the problem. Everyone is expecting him to be Superhuman everyday, every year.
Does not happen that often.
Maybe he is tired.
He is still 4th in scoring (at last check) and just became the 2nd player in NHL HISTORY to have 60 assists in 9 straight years! The other player? Maybe you have heard of him … Goes by the name Gretzky, Wayne Gretzky.
McDavid is the smartest player in the NHL. He knows the toll it takes to win the Stanley Cup. If he is a bit tired or isn’t the leader in the regular season, so what. He knows, I know, we all know that the regular season success does not make a hill of beans in the Playoffs.
His goal from day one this year and even last year is to win the Stanley Cup! Period. 97 doesn’t care about the Rocket, Hart, or any other trophy except the one called Lord Stanley’s Cup.