The Edmonton Oilers are one of the best teams in the National Hockey League. They are going into the playoffs with true Stanley Cup aspirations.
The biggest reason for that is the fact that they have Connor McDavid. On Monday night, he made a little bit of history.
In a 9-2 beat down of the San Jose Sharks, McDavid recorded one goal and one assist. The assist was a very nice pass that he made for Zach Hyman to score a tap-in goal.
This was the historic 100th assist of the season for McDavid. Only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Bobby Orr have ever reached that milestone in a season before. Others have come close but only those four have done it.
Connor McDavid has officially reached 100 assists in a single season
This comes one year after McDavid led the NHL with 64 goals. He pulled the goal-scoring back a little bit (he still has 32) and had an all-time great playmaking season.
2024 might not be a year that sees McDavid win the Hart Trophy (despite reaching this milestone) but there is no denying who the best player in the league is. He is already one of the all-time greats.
Now that he has this milestone in the bank, it is going to be all about the playoffs. They are either going to face the Los Angeles Kings or Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. No matter what, it is going to be tough.
The Oilers need McDavid at full health and on top of his game if they are going to make a deep run. They have other great players too, it isn't all on him.
Leon Draisaitl was a 100-point player this year, Zach Hyman has 54 goals, and Evan Bouchard is having a very good offensive season (81 points) for being a defenseman. These guys all need to show up for them to have a chance.
McDavid is a treat to watch. He gave another reason why this season with these 100 assists. Every time the Oilers are playing, hockey fans need to be tuned in. They are in for a treat every time he steps on the ice.