Edmonton Oilers

No Surprise: Connor McDavid Is Carrying the Oilers Again

Is Connor McDavid single-handedly dragging the Edmonton Oilers back into the Pacific Division race? Can they win the Division?

by
Old Prof
December 18, 2025

Check the standings, and you might not believe it: the Edmonton Oilers have quietly clawed into the top three in the Pacific Division. After a rough start, they’ve gone 6-3-1 over their last ten games and are finally starting to look like the team we’ve seen over the past couple of seasons. The supporting cast has chipped in—Matt Savoie and Vasily Podkolzin chipping in, Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard shoring up the defence—but at the end of the day, there’s one player really carrying the load.

After a slow start, Connor McDavid is producing just like the best player in the world should. Tuesday’s game against his old friend and ex-Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner was an example. He burned Skinner and the Pittsburgh Penguins with two goals and two assists. After lagging, he made a giant leap to come within two points of Nathan McKinnon at the top of the NHL scoring race. McKinnon has 58 points, and McDavid has 56.

McDavid Olympic comments — McDavid is leading the Oilers back to the head of the Pacific.

This is no fluke—he’s riding a seven-game point streak with nine goals and twenty points, on pace for 135 points this season, second only to his career-high 153. So why is McDavid carrying Edmonton on his back? Three reasons stand out:

McDavid Creates Chances Like Nobody Else

It isn’t just about the goals with McDavid. The guy makes plays you wouldn’t even think of. Pulls guys around, opens up lanes, sets up his buddies. Take him off the ice, and Edmonton’s just ordinary.

The Oilers have sometimes struggled to match the speed of other top Western Conference teams, but when McDavid is on, the pace changes. His skating and vision push everyone forward. Last ten games, Edmonton’s looking quicker, sharper… and a lot of that? Yeah, that’s McDavid running the show. Even when he starts slow, McDavid has a track record of ramping up mid-season and carrying the team. There isn’t a teammate who comes close to matching that consistency.

The Bottom Line for the Oilers’ Playoff Chances?

Numbers like a seven-game point streak with nine goals and twenty points don’t happen by accident. This is the thing with McDavid. Oilers fans have become used to these slow stars and wicked finishes. By mid-season, he’s carrying the team. There isn’t anyone else on the Oilers who can do that night after night. If he keeps this up, Edmonton’s not going to be an easy out in the Pacific. Get a couple of bodies back, like Roslovic or Kapanen, and it starts to look familiar again. Slow start, everyone doubts them, McDavid drags them back into it: same story, different season.