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"Keep pushing": Oilers' McDavid thinks he can be even better next season

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Aug 1 2023, 9:20 pm
"Keep pushing": Oilers' McDavid thinks he can be even better next season
Edmonton Oilers

Despite putting up one of the best regular seasons in NHL history, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid expects more out of himself in 2023-24.

McDavid spoke with OilersTV at the fourth annual Zach Hyman Celebrity Classic on Monday, where he made it clear that he and his Oilers teammates are all looking to improve this coming season.

“The young guys, they develop, and, obviously, even the top guys keep pushing to get better,” said McDavid. “I want to be better, [Leon Draisaitl] is pushing to get better, everybody’s trying to be better. And that’s where the biggest jumps come from. They come from within.”

McDavid also touched on his team’s disappointing playoff exit at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this year.

“I don’t know if you get over it, you just kind of learn from it and use it,” said McDavid. “I think that’s what we’re obviously trying to do. It’s great motivation for us all summer long. We know what it feels like to play against a team like that. Obviously, Colorado was elite. We felt like we were right there with Vegas, so those are good signs. But there’s no moral victories in professional sports.”

Last season, McDavid had career highs with 64 goals and 153 points, earning him the Hart, Art Ross, and Rocket Richard trophies, as well as the Ted Lindsay Award. His 153 points marked the first time a skater has hit that mark since the 1995-96 campaign when Mario Lemieux hit 161. Since then, no other player has eclipsed 130. The fact that he is expecting even more from himself this upcoming season has to be a scary thought for opposing teams.

Despite McDavid’s personal success, however, this Oilers group has yet to achieve their ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup championship. The good news is that, assuming Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod both get re-signed, their roster will be very similar to last season, but even more improved thanks to the free agent signing of Connor Brown.

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