Analyst Asks Whether Father Time is Closing in on Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid has been the best player in the world pretty much from the moment he stepped foot into the NHL. He’s not just been the best; there has rarely even been a debate about whether anyone is in the same ballpark as the Oilers captain.

The superstar center has deserved to be seen in a class of his own because nobody was coming close to putting up the numbers or making the highlight reel plays that McDavid has turned routine.

However, that narrative has started to shift over the last year or so, and two months into this season, it’s reached a new level of debate that we’ve never seen in the McDavid era. The absolute dominance of Nathan MacKinnon, combined with a dip in goal scoring and play at 5-on-5 from McDavid, has tightened the gap, and for some, the Colorado Avalanche star is the new leader in the clubhouse.

With the topic of the best player in the NHL actually a discussion after years of it being a foregone conclusion, Paul Pidutti of Adjusted Hockey took a deep dive into McDavid to see what’s truly going on and whether his age is already starting to catch up.

Pidutti wrote:

“McDavid clearly isn’t dominating at 5-on-5 like he used to. This doesn’t mean he can’t win another Art Ross Trophy or lead Canada to Olympic gold or carry the Oilers to a Stanley Cup. This summer, I forecasted that he could still be the best player in the world in 2030. He’s that special. McDavid just isn’t the same cheat code he was in his mid-20s at even-strength. Ruling? Father Time offers four months of parole to prove he’s still better than Nathan MacKinnon,”

As Pidutti refers to, the 29-year-old McDavid has remained productive to start the 2025-26 season with 44 points (16 goals, 28 assists) in his first 30 games played.

Connor McDavid Has Played A Lot of Hockey in Recent Years

In McDavid’s defense, very few, if any, players around the league have played as many games and minutes as he has over the last several years.

Not only have the games and minutes stacked up, but those are often grueling minutes throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, matching up against the opponents’ best, who are playing as hard and physically as they possibly can to contain him.

As players age and the wear and tear on the body accumulates, it’s hard to just cruise through an 82-game regular season each and every year, especially now that all McDavid wants is to get back to the finals and win a Stanley Cup.

And let’s remember, Sidney Crosby won Stanley Cups at age 28 and 29, and Alex Ovechkin did so at 32. At 29 years old, McDavid has plenty more years to achieve his ultimate goal, and he and the Oilers shouldn’t care if that means a slight dip in consistency and performance during the regular season, as long as it ends with him raising lord stanley over his head in the blue, orange, and white.

Next: Player Poll Reveals Front-Runner for Connor McDavid’s Future Team