EDMONTON — Connor McDavid has made a historic start to the season with six goals and 26 points in the first nine games for the Edmonton Oilers, setting an NHL record with 20 assists in that span. On Tuesday, the three-time Hart Trophy winner became the fourth-fastest player to reach 25 points, with 17 of his 20 assists registered as primary assists, at an average of 0.67 goals per game and 2.89 points per game.
In any normal year the numbers around the league would lead the Hart and Art Ross Trophy races. Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews have 18 points in 11 games and Kirill Kaprizov has 11 goals in 10 games, totals that would usually put them at the front of the MVP conversation. Yet McDavid's ludicrous production is stealing all the attention, sitting 0.89 points per game clear of teammate Evan Bouchard, the next-best player, and putting him on pace for 56 goals and 243 points.
No player other than Wayne Gretzky has ever scored 200 points, with Gretzky's best total 215 at 2.77 points per game in 1985-86. Only Gretzky and Mario Lemieux have ever averaged more than 2.00 points per game across an entire NHL season, though McDavid has come close with 1.88 in 2020-21 and 1.87 in 2022-23. Lemieux came closest to 200 outside Gretzky with 199 points in 74 games in 1988-89, while Steve Yzerman's 155 in 1988-89 and McDavid's 153 in 2022-23 are the next best seasons. To average 2.00 points per game over an 84-game schedule, McDavid would need at least 168 points, a total no one has matched since Lemieux and Gretzky in 1988-89.
Whether that pace is sustainable will hinge on shooting regression and opportunity. McDavid is shooting at 27.3 per cent, well above his career best of 18.2 per cent, while averaging 2.44 shots per game compared with 3.73 in 2025-26. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Edmonton Oilers are outscoring opponents 18-4 with McDavid on the ice at 5-on-5, with a Corsi For percentage of 60.30 per cent, an expected goals percentage of 56.11 per cent and a high-danger chances for percentage of 59.02 per cent, numbers that were higher prior to a poorish game against the Minnesota Wild. The Oilers' 24.32 shooting percentage with McDavid on the ice is the second-highest among players who have appeared in at least three games this season. On the power play, where the Oilers are clicking at 31.0 per cent to rank second in the NHL with nine power-play goals, McDavid collected primary assists on all three power-play goals on Tuesday, and further man-advantage opportunities should bring more points.
Health and workload will be decisive. McDavid played in all 82 games last season and has been relatively healthy for most of his career, and he is currently averaging his highest time on ice of his career while remaining in the 99th percentile in all NHL EDGE skating metrics. His determination to win a Stanley Cup remains at an all-time high, and while 243 points and even 200 points would require a mammoth and practically impossible run, a 2.00 points-per-game average remains in the cards if any player can sustain such dominance.