AWARDS: McDavid set for monumental week

NASHVILLE, TN - It's shaping up to be one heck of a week for Connor McDavid.

The Oilers captain will get to experience a mix of old and new. The NHL Draft? Been there and done that as the first-overall pick back in 2015. The NHL Awards? McDavid is already a two-time Hart Trophy winner and a three-time Ted Lindsay Award winner -- the two trophies he's currently nominated and a favourite to win on Monday.

The new for McDavid is this will be his first week as a fiancé, after proposing to his long-time girlfriend Lauren last Thursday.

"Yeah, it's been a fun weekend," McDavid said. "Obviously, the engagement there on Thursday, that was a big step. And then we went to I went to a show on Friday, and then obviously here in Nashville celebrating the awards, and it's also [Lauren's] birthday on Monday, so it's been a good weekend."

The good weekend could get even better for the 26-year-old if his name is announced twice during Monday's NHL Awards. McDavid is coming off the best statistical season of the 21st century after a 153-point campaign where he led the league in goals with 64, capturing both the Art Ross and the Rocket Richard Trophies in the process.

The league's top player proceeded to rack up a 40-point berth over the next non-teammate over the course of 82 regular season games. McDavid already has the distinction of being one of two players to ever be voted the unanimous winner of the Hart Trophy -- alongside Wayne Gretzky -- and has a legitimate shot at doing it again in Nashville.

Even if the Oilers captain does not garner every first-place vote, a Hart and Lindsay win would make him one of five players to capture both trophies, and the Rocket and Art Ross in the same season, and the first since Alexander Ovechkin in 2007-08. As much as it would be nice for McDavid to add to his future hall-of-fame resume, it has been a long time since Monday's tophies have been a focus for the Richmond Hill product.

"Yeah, it'd be nice [to win]. Yeah, it'd be special. That being said, that stuff is not the motivating factor anymore, you know?" McDavid said. "It never really was, but, when you're young and you're coming in the league, it's you're so excited to play in the NHL and then to win a Hart trophy and an Art Ross is exciting when you're younger, and it still is, but at this point in my career, it's not the be all, end all."

At this point in his career, McDavid's attention is solely placed on a certain team award, not collecting more individual ones, but it doesn't change the fact that he continues to surpass even the greatest expectations that could have been placed on him when he was drafted out of the Erie Otters eight years ago. His two teammates Darnell Nurse and Stuart Skinner that have joined McDavid in Nashville as they await the fate of their own award aspirations, both get to witness the incredible desire to win and get better that comes along with such achievements.

"Honoured to be his teammate, honoured to be his friend," Skinner said. "It's very impressive to see what he does every single day. It's not really surprising, just the way he works every year, every summer, and during the season. It's just the way he is. He does all the little things right and he deserves everything that goes towards him. He deserves all the success that goes towards him. It's fun to watch and very impressive."

For a player like Nurse that has had a front-row seat to McDavid's entire career, this year was just a cut above what he had seen over the past eight seasons.

"Yeah, it was incredible," Nurse said. "I think obviously not just the numbers he put up, but the amount of effort and work he brought to the rink every day. I think his work and his push of the team, his leadership, even took another step. As great as it was, and as great as the numbers show, just like what he brought to rink every day was even bigger than that."

When asked if he believes McDavid has reached his limit, if 2023 was the peak of his power, the Oilers defenceman was fairly blunt in his reply.

"I'm not going to put a ceiling on that."