Edmonton Oilers Captain Connor McDavid is All Business

There is a different feel when it comes to the Edmonton Oilers, particularly Connor McDavid, during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Oilers are on a mission to return to the Stanley Cup Final and complete the job they started a year ago. We all know the story of how the Oiles rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the final to force a Game 7 and fell one goal short, losing to the Florida Panthers.

While all the players took losing personally and were motivated this season, Connor McDavid has adopted a mindset similar to that of Michael Jordan in the playoffs. It is clear that no matter the results of the game, he is never satisfied with the result because, as the late great Kobe Bryant told the media during one of his runs to the NBA Championship, when asked about if he was satisfied being up 2-0, Kob said, “Job’s Not Finished.”

That is the mindset McDavid has this season with the Oilers. While he is not the biggest fan of the media, especially the way he answers questions this season, it shows that he took the Game 7 loss to the Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final to heart. Just look at how he answered questions about his goal scoring following Edmonton’s win on Sunday.

“I haven’t scored many goals over the course of the playoffs,” McDavid told Gene Principe of Sportsnet. “Trying to do my part offensively as always. You’re not gonna score if you don’t shoot. So nice to see a couple go in today (Sunday).”

Connor McDavid is quietly leading the NHL in scoring once again. He is up to 22 points, including five goals and 17 assists and had his best game of the playoffs by imposing his will in Game 3 against the Dallas Stars. Not to mention, the Western Conference Final is the first point in the Stanley Cup Playoffs where McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard are imposing their will on a series.

While the Oilers depth has gotten them to this point, it was the reason why Edmonton reached the Western Conference Final once again. Even though McDavid and Draisaitl were still accumulating points, it was not as if they were dominating games or series. Both players were noticeable and scoring goals, but not as consistently as they were in the first couple of games against Dallas.

Unlike last season, when McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy in his team’s loss in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, this season, McDavid is sacrificing points as he showcases his defensive game. He is taking the criticism of his team’s inability to play defence to heart. As Michael Jordan said, “It became personal to me.”

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And it has become personal to McDavid. Don’t believe one minute players don’t hear or read what is said in the media. Jordan did it all the time. McDavid is doing the same thing, and he is letting the press know about it, especially after wins. Just go back to Game 2 when he opened his post-game availability.

“Yes, we can play defense,” McDavid said laughing as told the media following the Game 2 victory.

Even before that, McDavid was letting everyone know he was getting tired of answering questions about the Oilers and whether they could play defence.

“I’m how many times are we going to answer this question, really like honestly? It’s frustrating that we keep talking about this. We can defend. We can,” McDavid told reporters after the Oilers advanced to the Western Conference for the third time in four years as they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 1-0 in Game 5 in overtime.

Even Draisaitl was asked about the team’s defensive play heading into their rematch against the Dallas Stars, before the Western Conference Final started, and he was getting annoyed answering the question.

“I mean, how many times do we need to answer these questions. Like, we’ve been a really good defensive team for years now,” Draisaitl told the media.

So what did McDavid and Draisaitl do? They showed not only could they be good offensive players, but great defense players as well. As Michael Jordan did so many times, if you thought another player was better at something than he was, he was going to prove that player wasn’t. Same with Connor McDavid. At some point, we have to talk about him being in the running for the Selke Trophy as one of the best two-way players in the game.

Let’s go back to the Vegas series for a minute. Just look at the Vegas series for a minute. Connor McDavid has transformed into a 200-foot player. There was a play in the series where he skated the length of the ice to break up a play and keep the puck out of the net. That is the effort needed to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

While this is about McDavid and his mindset, the same thing can be said about Draisaitl’s mindset. When he is holding Jack Eichel scoreless in a series, there is something about the two best players in the world buying into Kris Knoblauch’s defensive system. That is the mindset you need to win. As Jordan said, he wouldn’t ask his teammates to do something he wouldn’t do. The same applies to McDavid and Draisaitl.

You could tell if even if the team wins, he is not satisfied. Just go back to Game 3 of the series. Despite the Oilers winning 6-1, McDavid said post-game, his team gave up too many chances, but would take the win and move on.

“I thought it was a bit wonky, actually. But I thought Stu held us in,” McDavid told Gene Principe of Sportsnet. “We gave up too many chances, especially early on, but we found a way to get a lead and obviously built on it there in the third. Take the win and we’ll move on.”

Ccontinues to demonstrate that everything written and said has become personal to him. He is on a mission to win and prove that even the best players can play two-way hockey. It’s all business, all the time, for the Edmonton Oilers captain as they look to return to the Stanley Cup Final.