February 20, 2024 by Eric Friesen

Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid has accomplished virtually everything from an offensive perspective in his nine-year NHL career.

McDavid has one 150-point season, two 120-point seasons, three 110-point seasons, six 100-point seasons, one 60-goal season, four 40-goal seasons, seven 30-goal seasons, six Art Ross Trophies as scoring champion, one Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as goal-scoring leader and hockey’s triple crown as the outright leader in goals, assists and points in a single season.

Now, McDavid has a real chance to reach a milestone that no NHL player has achieved in 33 years — record 100 assists in a single season. After picking up a pair of helpers in the Oilers’ 6-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Monday, McDavid is now on pace for 99 assists in 80 games this season (he missed two games with an oblique injury in October).

While individual milestones have never been his primary focus, if McDavid gets close to the century mark, his internal drive to excel will make sure he reaches it.

Natural Playmaker

Playmaking has always been a strength McDavid’s game thanks to his superior vision and ability to read the ice better than anyone else. After scoring a league-leading 64 goals in 2022-23, McDavid is now on a mission to see on how high he can push his assists this season.

During his nine seasons with the Oilers, 65% of McDavid’s 933 career NHL points have been assists. Prior to this season, his highest percentage of points being assists is one campaign was 70% in 2016-17. However, this season, his assists account for 75% of his total points.

Could he score 50 goals every season? Sure. But he’s instinctively always going a pass-first player.

The Oilers captain has 19 assists in his last nine games, including six apples in an 8-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings on February 13. McDavid joined Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey and Leon Draisaitl as the only players in franchise history to record six assists in a game. Even more impressively, McDavid became the first NHL player to have six assists in a game where his team didn’t have a single power-play opportunity since Don Grosso on February 3, 1944.

Related: Connor McDavid shone the brightest on All-Star Weekend

McDavid added three more assists in a 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, which moved him into sole possession of the league lead. He then capped off the week with his 60th assist of the season in a 4-3 overtime win over the Dallas Stars on Friday, earning him NHL Second Star of the Week honours. Additionally, McDavid joined Wayne Gretzky as the only players in NHL history to record eight consecutive 60-assists seasons.

Winning his sixth Art Ross Trophy would grab most of the headlines, but McDavid is also the clear-cut favourite to claim his fourth assists title this season. McDavid could join Gretzky and Bobby Orr as the only players in NHL history to lead the league in assists in four times. No. 97 would also become the first player to lead the league in assists in three consecutives seasons since Henrik Sedin from 2009-10 through 2011-12.

The 100-assist club

Joining the 150-point club this past April instantly became the single greatest achievement in McDavid’s career, and very likely the most impressive feat by any NHL player in the 21st century. Although it will be difficult to top 150 points, with 62 assists through 50 games this season, he’s given himself a shot to join an even more exclusive club.

On the surface, putting up 150 points in a season seems more impressive than tallying 100 assists. But, in fact, a 100-assist season is an even rarer accomplishment. There have been 17 150-point seasons by six players in NHL history. However, there have only been 13 100-assist seasons, and only three players who have done it. Gretzky recorded 11 consecutive 100-assist seasons from 1980-81 through 1990-91 and Mario Lemieux and Orr each did it once.

The 27-year-old needs 38 assists in the final 30 games this season to hit the century mark. He has 41 assists in his last 30 games, so if he can maintain his current pace until April, he will hit 100 or more. And anyone who has followed his career knows that McDavid always elevates his play down the stretch drive, which only increases the likelihood that he will do it.

McDavid has an uncanny ability to find an open teammate anywhere in dangerous scoring areas. And more than ever before, his targets are finding the back of the net. His linemate Zach Hyman leads the team with 33 goals in 51 games, just three back of his career-high set a year ago.

Hyman is on pace for 53 goals this season, and McDavid will be just as motivated to help him score 50 as Hyman will be to get McDavid to 100 assists. Draisaitl has also started to pick up his scoring pace again, and if the power-play stays around 30% or better for the rest of the season, that bodes well for McDavid’s odds, too.

When you have the chance to accomplish something that only Gretzky, Lemieux and Orr have done in the history of the game, you know it’s special. That’s the company McDavid is in.