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Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Oilers’ McDavid’s Best Days Might Be Behind Him

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 3:40 PM ET

Time flies. There’s no better proof of that than how far Connor McDavid already is in his NHL career. It seems like yesterday that McDavid was being talked about as a generational talent entering the draft. But it’s been 10 years since the Edmonton Oilers selected him first overall in 2015.

McDavid has already played 10 NHL seasons and will celebrate his 29th birthday during the 2025-26 campaign. He has more than lived up to expectations (as high as they were). He has played 712 games, putting up a ridiculous 361 goals and 1,082 points, numbers that have helped him land five Art Ross Trophies, four Ted Lindsay Awards, three Hart Trophies, and a Rocket Richard Trophy.

McDavid has brought his brilliance to the postseason as well, with a stunning 44 goals and 150 points in 96 games. Despite a Conn Smythe Trophy to his name, the Stanley Cup continues to elude him, and it’s hard not to wonder how many more opportunities he will get to win it all.

McDavid Nearing Peak Athlete Age

McDavid is closing in on 30, an age when many professional athletes see their play begin to dip. Of course, he isn’t just any athlete, but he is human, and it’s fair to question how much more greatness he has left in the tank.

McDavid was arguably at his peak during the 2022-23 season when he put up 64 goals and 153 points. It was one of the best individual seasons of all time, yet one that many fans felt he was capable of surpassing, given that he had continued to outdo himself every campaign to that point.

Since then, however, McDavid’s regular-season numbers have dropped. They aren’t disappointing – he put up 132 points in 2023-24, and 100 in 67 games this past season. Some believe he’s started to take his foot off the gas in the regular season to save some energy for the postseason; a theory that could be backed up by his 42 points in 25 games during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Another possibility, however, is that he hit his peak during the 2022-23 campaign.

Now, of course, McDavid is still considered the best player in the NHL. What we’re saying is that the gap between him and the second-best player, perhaps Nathan MacKinnon, isn’t as wide as it used to be. In the past, including the 2025 Playoffs, it has seemed like McDavid had to go nuclear for the Oilers to win it all given the holes in their roster. We saw him do just that in 2024, almost single-handedly dragging Edmonton to the Cup Final. Based on their current roster, he may need to do that again if the Oilers have any chance of hoisting the Cup. The question is whether or not he can.

One example people will point to is Sidney Crosby, who, at age 37, remains one of the best in the game and is coming off of a 91-point season. That said, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain, while still incredible, is nowhere close to the same level of player he was during his prime years when he was guiding the Pens to Stanley Cup championships.

As McDavid gets older, it will be imperative for the Oilers to build a better team – one he deserves – around him. Seeing him take over NHL games, especially in the playoffs, will happen less and less over time, meaning that if the team around him doesn’t improve, he and Leon Draisaitl may never win the Cup. At least, not in Edmonton.