At the beginning of the season, Edmonton Oilers fans must have been thinking the same thing. Is Connor McDavid going to have another season similar to his campaign in 2022–23, where in 82 games he was able to put up 64 goals and 89 assists for 153 points? With that season, McDavid was the fourth player not named Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, or Steve Yzerman to end with that many points in a single season.
Was Connor McDavid able to score 64 goals in a single season? Crazy, but not surprising. One of the primary reasons this happened was due to a single, simple thing. He decided to shoot more, which significantly improved his game and also revitalized it in a sense.
Today, I will be looking at three reasons why I believe that Connor McDavid’s game has been revitalized through his “shoot more” mentality, looking into some of his goals and shots stats over the last couple of seasons, and trying to understand why this has had the impact on his season that it has.
More shots = A revitalized game?
First off, I need to look at what the word “revitalized” means, and here is what Google had to say: inspire (something) with new life and vitality. McDavid already has shown plenty of life in his game and through the way that he plays, but just based on his quote above, he wants to prove to all of us that there is new inspiration and life in his game and that scoring 50 to 60 goals is not just a one-and-done deal. McDavid has no issues in his career when it comes down to getting assists and racking up the apples, but he also wants to show that there is way more to his game than just his assist and passing ability, and his speed as well.
If he likes goals more, then why has he not shot more? McDavid has definitely shown us all the answer to this question, through his numbers and what he has accomplished on the production side of things this season. I really feel like McDavid has gotten so good at many parts of his game that he has semi-started to get bored and now wants more so that he consistently improves as his time in the NHL continues to move on. The best player in the world has earned that title for a reason, and we as fans always enjoy it when a player of that calibre can show us that “wait, there’s more,” and can continue to impress you, even when you may already think that this is all there is to my game.
The stats behind the shots
| Year | Goals | Shots | Goals Percentage (games played) | Shooting Percentage |
| 2021-22 | 44 | 314 | 0.55 | 14.0 |
| 2022–23 | 64 | 352 | 0.78 | 18.2 |
| 2023-24 | 32 | 263 | 0.42 | 12.2 |
| 2024-25 | 26 | 196 | 0.39 | 13.3 |
| 2025-26 | 30 | 171 | 0.67 | 17.5 |
When you look at this table, you can clearly see that over the past five seasons, Connor McDavid’s stats have fluctuated and changed so much. 30+ goals four times, 250+ shots three times, and a shooting percentage above 13% four times. There has been consistency to his game in this regard, but also, these numbers have tended to change depending on how the Oilers were playing that year, or what McDavid decided that he would want to do that season.
The biggest piece of this information that sticks out to me is how close McDavid’s numbers are to those of his 2022–23 season. A 34-goal differential (so far), 181 shot separation, 0.11 goals per game percentage, and a 0.7 percent difference in the shooting that has led to goals.
McDavid has only played 45 games so far this season (just over half) and already has four more goals in 22 fewer games when compared to his season last year. He has been scoring per game at a very high rate and has been able to score goals on a lot of his shots as well. It will definitely be interesting to see where these numbers will end up and how they will compare by the end of the season. For Connor McDavid right now, shots have proven to be key for him and his goal-scoring ability.
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What has the impact been, and why is it working?
I have already discussed a bit in detail on what the impact has been for the Oilers and Connor McDavid and his shoot-first mentality, scoring goals at a higher rate, being able to score goals on fewer shots, and just making the decision to shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. Why has this been working?
McDavid and his speed have been lethal this season, and that has got to be a huge part in explaining why his goals have increased and his shots have led to more goals as well. McDavid’s top speed this season, which was also his best recorded, was 24.61 mph, and he also currently leads the league in 20+ and 22+ mph speed boosts.
Oilers fans! With Connor McDavid deciding to shoot more and absolutely dominating the league thanks to his 18-game point streak (19 goals and 23 assists), totalling 42 points, where do you think he will end up by the end of the season? And how will shots continue to improve his game? Let us know in the comments.
Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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