One storyline that has not been talked about too much this season is the Edmonton Oilers captain, Connor McDavid. What was noticeable at the start of the year was that McDavid was slow to find his game and get back to his offensive self.
In the past five games or so, McDavid has been on fire, and today I am going to look at why he had a bit of a slow start at the beginning of the season, how he has played since signing his two-year, $12.5M contract and where I think he will finish in terms of points by the end of the season.
Connor McDavid is the best player in the NHL right now, and every time he touches the ice, he has an immense amount of pressure on his shoulders to perform as the best and consistently give his team the best chance to win their games on a nightly basis. Most nights, he is able to play at another level compared to his opponents, and other nights, the pressure has shown to get to him. Either way, McDavid has shown and continues to prove why he is currently the best active player in the world and arguably one of the best of all time.
Why did McDavid have a slow start to the season?
In the month of October, Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers played 12 games in the span of 23 days to start their 2025–26 NHL campaign. That is not an easy feat and is a lot of work, even for professionals. While the Oilers had a slower start to their season in terms of their record by going 5–4–3, McDavid started slow himself, with three goals and 11 assists for a total of 14 points. That is only a 1.17 points per game pace, and by the best player in the world’s standards, that is a slow start.
I do not know if McDavid was having too much fun or working too hard in the offseason, but one way or another, it did play a factor in terms of the start to his 11th career season. Some teams are definitely slow out of the gate to start the year, and SURPRISE, it can sometimes be the same way for the players themselves. I understand that slow starts should not be a thing for these athletes, but it does not take one game to instantly have that hockey feeling back again. That is why I think it is okay to say that McDavid had a slow start to the season and was not at his best.
Secured the bag, secured the confidence
Before the 2025–26 regular season even began, the only thing that the Oilers media and fans were talking about was whether McDavid was going to re-sign with the Oilers and when it was going to happen. The best NHL players only want to win, so I can understand why McDavid was hesitant about re-signing with the team. If having the pressure of being the best player in the world was not enough, they also have the pressure of winning games. More importantly, winning the Stanley Cup so that they are able to cement their legacy as one of being one the best to ever play the game. This is what Connor McDavid has had to deal with nonstop over the last two years, having lost in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers.
McDavid signed his new contract only two days before the new season began, and maybe that helped him build some confidence heading into this season. McDavid re-signed for an AAV (annual average value) of $12.5M for the next two seasons and secured what could be his final chance at winning a Cup with the Edmonton Oilers. He did not take a raise and, realistically, took a massive pay cut. All to give his team the best possible chance to win, classy!
It is very easy to look at how McDavid has done since signing that new contract, but in 32 games so far this season, he has produced 18 goals and 33 assists for a total of 51 points. When you consider his slower start to the year and how good Nathan MacKinnon has been over the last couple of seasons—who also currently leads the NHL in scoring with 26 goals and 29 assists for a total of 55 points in just 32 games this season—McDavid has been crushing it.
McDavid’s last five games have seen him put up seven goals and eight assists for an insane total of 15 points. With an average of three points per game in that span, these are video game-like numbers and something that McDavid has seemed to do with ease. Not to compare, but Nathan MacKinnon’s last five games have seen him put up four goals and five assists for a total of nine points. McDavid also has 37 points over his last 20 games, while MacKinnon has the same amount of points with 37 in his previous 20 games. A guy who was once six to eight points back in the Art Ross race has managed to come back and is now only four points back. Yes, they have also played the same number of games, impressive!
Bet like a pro here with Bet99—Ontario’s go-to for elite odds and nonstop action. And outside Ontario, Canadians bet better here with Bet99—bringing top-tier odds and action from coast to coast.
Where will McDavid stand in the league, by the end of the season?
With the way that McDavid has been playing as of late, it is probably safe to assume that he has a legit possibility of finishing the season by winning the Art Ross Trophy and maybe the Hart as well. Will he keep up this points per game pace until the end of the season? No, but it is really impressive when you look at the circumstances and the way that the Oilers have played so far this season as well. Even though they are still losing some games, it seems to me that the Oilers are slowly starting to find their footing and team chemistry.
I do not know where Edmonton will place by the end of the season, but if they can continue to get some impressive production from McDavid and Draisaitl and great plays from a bunch of their other players, the Oilers have a solid chance of finishing first in their division and making the playoffs for the seventh year in a row.
All I know is that Oilers hockey can be very entertaining, stressful, and disappointing at any given time. Arguably, their hockey has been entering stressful right now, even though they are currently 6–3–1 over their last 10 games.
Oiler fans! Has Connor McDavid officially found his game? Has the Edmonton Oilers hockey been entertaining, stressful, or disappointing right now? Let us know what you think by leaving us a message in the comments.
Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
more importantly where will oilers stand after the playoffs.. there should not be any more article about these sore losers’ personal stats