McDavid of Oilers favored to win Hart Trophy for 3rd time

EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid put up numbers this season not seen in the NHL in over a quarter of a century, and it did not come as a surprise to his current coach Jay Woodcroft or former coach Ken Hitchcock.

The Edmonton Oilers center had 153 points, the most since Mario Lemieux had 161 for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96. McDavid also claimed the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals with 64, and led the League with 89 assists, becoming only the third in NHL history to lead all three categories in one season. Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins (1972-73) and Wayne Gretzky of the Oilers (1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1986-87), are the others.

"It was an incredible season, one for the record books," Woodcroft said this week. "I thought he dominated in different types of fashions, and it was obvious that his game continues to evolve, and he continues to find new ways to succeed. I saw an increased emphasis on shooting the puck. I saw someone whose leadership abilities continue to grow. I saw someone driven by team success, somebody who's excited when other people do well, and I just think he's elite in so many different areas."

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McDavid is expected to take home some more hardware at the 2023 NHL Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Monday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, TVAS). The 26-year-old is favored to win the Hart Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in the NHL, for a third time, and the Ted Lindsay Award, awarded to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted on by the NHL Players' Association, for a fourth time.

McDavid and the Oilers fell short of winning the Stanley Cup, losing to the eventual champion Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the Western Conference Second Round. It was the second consecutive season Edmonton was eliminated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the eventual winner. The Oilers were swept in the conference final by the Colorado Avalanche last season.

Regardless, McDavid put together a regular season for the ages.

Hitchcock, who coached McDavid in Edmonton for 62 games in the 2018-19 season and stayed with the team for the next two seasons as a senior adviser, said this season wasn't an outlier, rather a glimpse of what's to come.

"I would say the season was incredible except that it's going to happen again and again and again, because of who Connor is and what he's become," Hitchcock said. "I'm not surprised by it, and I don't think anyone should be surprised, because his skill package is one thing, and it's elite, but the drive shaft is what changed for Connor. He's such a driven athlete, and that to me makes him special, the drive shaft.

"He can't be discouraged now, he has the sense of timing to know when to elevate to a new level, he knows how to drag his teammates into the fight. He's got great qualities of a tremendous leader along with the skill package. None of this surprises me, but it sure as heck is impressive to watch."

McDavid, who was selected No. 1 by the Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft, has reached at least 100 points in six of his eight NHL seasons.

"We're seeing a superstar in his prime continue to evolve and continue to get better. It was a really special season for him and for our organization," Woodcroft said. "I see someone that, especially behind the scenes away from cameras, away from people that aren't around the team every day, who is driven to win, is driven to be the best that he can be. He wants to set a great example, but he's also willing to hold people to our standard. I think our best players have an intolerance for anything that gets in the way of winning. Certainly, Connor sets the tone in that regard."

McDavid is considered a generational talent who changed the fortunes of the Oilers. Edmonton missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons before McDavid led it to the second round in 2017, losing to the Anaheim Ducks in seven games. The Oilers have qualified for the playoffs the past four seasons.

"I think what makes the special ones special is the fact they can't be discouraged, and you can't discourage Connor," Hitchcock said. "He's going to fight through it, he's going to battle through it, he's not going to get discouraged over what's being done to him. What's changed in Connor from what I've seen since he came in, is that he trusts his work, and that's encouraging for the Oilers and discouraging for the rest of the League, because he knows he can stay with it longer than most people in the League, and it makes him a really difficult player to play against."

Hitchcock replaced Todd McLellan, who was fired 20 games into the 2018-19 season. Hitchcock, who will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in November, won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999 and the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2012 with the St. Louis Blues. Hitchcock is now a consultant with St. Louis, working primarily with its minor-league affiliates.

"It's as much fun as I've coached in my life was coaching the year with the Oilers," Hitchcock said. "It was so much fun, and one of the reasons was that you never had to tell Connor to work harder. Neither him nor Leon [Draisaitl], you never needed to say to him that he had to work harder in practice, or you need to compete at practice. They drove the bus all the time and it was fun to see that in athletes."

Of all the talented players Hitchcock has coached over 22 seasons with five NHL teams, he cites McDavid as the best.

"He's right there at the top because he can do things at top speed that other people need to stop and think about," Hitchcock said. "His instincts and his ability to play with finesse and doing it at breakneck speed is second to none."

Woodcroft took over as Oilers coach for Dave Tippett on Feb. 10, 2022. He, too, feels fortunate to get to work with McDavid on a daily basis.

"For me, to witness the work that goes into the results that everybody sees, it's special to have a front row seat to see somebody at that level continually work to try and get better," Woodcroft said. "For me as his coach, I'm proud of the season that he put in. I know that he's going to continue to push to be the best that he can be, and his ultimate goal is to bring another Stanley Cup to the city of Edmonton."