McDavid is threatening to break one of Gretzky's most impressive records
It seems unfathomable that Connor McDavid could get any better, but here we are.
The Edmonton Oilers captain has been red-hot to start the season and is off to the best start of his NHL career. After a five-point effort against the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night, helping the Oilers win by a score of 6-2, McDavid is now up to a remarkable 23 points through the first eight games of the season.
That is the most points through the first eight games of a season from any player since 2000, and more significantly, has put him on a collision course to potentially break one of Wayne Gretzky’s most impressive records.
McDavid is scoring at a 2.88 points-per-game pace right now, which would extrapolate to an astounding 241 points over the course of an 84-game season. That would shatter Gretzky’s single-season record of 215 points, which he accomplished with the Oilers during the 1985-86 campaign.
It would also make the Oilers captain just the second player in NHL history to break the 200-point plateau. Gretzky did it on four different occasions.
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— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 18, 2026
Notching 200 points was an impressive feat in the high-scoring 1980s, and it was assumed to be practically impossible in the modern day. Even Mario Lemieux struggled to hit the milestone, maxing out at 199 points during the 1988-89 season.
McDavid is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the NHL nowadays. Back during the 2022-23 season, he found a way to put up 153 points, becoming the first player in 27 years to break the 150-point mark. Then, before that, in 2020-21, he notched an amazing 105 points in the COVID-shortened 56-game season.
A lot of things would need to continue to go right if McDavid wants a shot at the single-season points record. He would not have a lot of room to cool off over the remaining 76 games on the schedule, and he’d need to remain healthy for the entire season.
It’s a long shot, don’t be mistaken, but to doubt McDavid’s abilities would be foolish at this point.