Former NHL tough guy wouldn't build playoff team around Oilers' McDavid
Connor McDavid, undisputedly, is the best player in the world.
But the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the National Hockey League wouldn’t put him at the top of the list of players he’d want when it comes to assembling a team set to compete for the Stanley Cup.
“Connor McDavid is the best player in the world. But, if I’m building a playoff team right now, he’s not in my top five picks,” former NHL tough guy John Scott said on the Dropping the Gloves podcast.
Kucherov. MacKinnon. Hedman, Makar. Maybe Bergeron?
Am I crazy? Skills alone only get you so far, as we’ve seen… https://t.co/s6D5iqsmz0
— John Scott (@johnscott_32) December 26, 2022
Scott, an NHL All-Star Game MVP who logged 544 penalty minutes over 286 games of his NHL career with the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, and Arizona Coyotes, said he’d place a handful of others over McDavid.
McDavid is currently on a 15-game point streak, amassing 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists) over the run. His NHL career-best is 17 games. He leads the NHL in goals (30) and points (66) and is tied for the lead in assists (36). He reached the 60-point plateau in the fewest games (31) the NHL has seen in more than 25 years.
The Oilers’ captain got 37 games of playoff experience with the Oilers, amassing 55 points (21 goals, 34 assists).
He had 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in helping Edmonton to the Western Conference Final, where the team was swept in four games by the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche.
McDavid, whose career high in points is 123 set in 2021-22, has two Hart Memorial Trophies, given to the player “adjudged to be the most valuable to his team,” on his mantle from efforts in 2017 and 2021, as well as Ted Lindsay Awards as “most outstanding player” from 2017, 2018, and 2021.
He’s also the league’s odds-on favourite for multiple NHL awards.
It’s okay if you disagree. I don’t have all the answers.
Anyway, hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! 🎄 Cheers.
— John Scott (@johnscott_32) December 27, 2022
“Getting carved up for this one!” Scott tweeted.
“Let me clarify.
“McDavid is unbelievable and obviously every team would be better with him on it. I never said I don’t want him on my team.
“That said, playoffs are a grind. There are a handful of players who ‘do it all’ a little better than him.
“Building a franchise, Connor is #1. But for a deep playoff run, there are a few guys I might take ahead of him.
“I don’t think this is that controversial of a take.”
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