Oilers captain McDavid has already doubled his career playoff output

Oilers captain Connor McDavid has already doubled his career playoff output

Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

No need to stop the presses in order to break the news that Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is on some sort of heater.

He’s having himself a time shredding the record books on his most recent Stanley Cup Playoffs run.

The pace at which he’s doing it though? Remarkable.

“For me, I get a front-row seat to it,” Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft started. “I get an ice-level seat. What he’s doing is special. He’s inspiring every person in our organization to be the best that they can be, whether it’s Richard in the mail room or it’s Shawna in HR. He’s somebody, with what he’s bringing to the table each and every day, it is pushing this entire organization and our city forward.

“It’s special.”

And an entirely new level for the 25-year-old when it comes to postseason play.

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Through McDavid’s first three forays into the playoffs, coming in 2017, 2020, and 2021, the four-time First Team All-Star compiled a respectable 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 21 games. That includes his inaugural run for the Stanley Cup in 2017 which saw him net nine points (five goals, four assists) in 13 games, and the sequel in 2020 with nine points (five goals, four assists) in just four games.

“He was always tough to play against,” teammate and defenceman Tyson Barrie said. “The level he’s kind of raised his game to right now, I don’t think we’ve seen that before. Can’t imagine what it’s like trying to slow him down. I’m just glad he’s on our side.”

Now?

McDavid has eclipsed the entire total with 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in just 10 games in the 2022 playoffs — seven against the Los Angeles Kings and three at the expense of the Calgary Flames.

You read that correctly.

McDavid has more points in his current 10-game run, which features nine multi-point efforts, than he’s previously compiled through his 21-game playoff history prior to this May.

Challenging for the opposition, to say the least.

“You’ve got to embrace it,” said Flames defenceman Noah Hanifin, currently tasked with partner Rasmus Andersson to shut down McDavid and Edmonton’s top trio. “It’s definitely a challenge.”

McDavid’s set or matched a few marks along the way.

Most recently, he became the first player in playoff history with nine multi-point outings through his first 10 games of a playoff year. His 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in 10 games trails only Wayne Gretzky (29 in 1983, 25 in 1985) and Mario Lemieux (25 in 1992) as the most productive 10-game stretch to start a postseason series.

Previously, he was the fastest player in the past 30 years to reach 20 points in the playoffs, doing so in nine games, among a handful of other accolades.

“What I see every day that no one else in here gets to see but his teammates do and his coaches do, I see someone who is business-like, who is professional, who’s an unbelievable teammate, and is displaying a ton of leadership qualities,” Woodcroft said.

“We’re thankful that he’s our captain.”