BLOG: McDavid providing a helping hand during goalless stretch

EDMONTON, AB – With a healthy hint of sarcasm in his voice, Connor McDavid said he may never score again during his pre-game media availability after Monday morning's skate at Rogers Place.

“I've decided I'm just going to see how many assists I can get, so that's the focus,” McDavid joked. “I'm not going to shoot the puck anymore and I’m not going to score any more goals.”

Even if there was a concerted effort from the captain to try and avoid shooting the puck over his last nine games, returning an incredible 21 assists in that time, the number of helpers that he’d produce would still probably prove to be enough of a healthy contribution from the three-time Hart and four-time Ted Lindsay and Art Ross Trophy winner.

Despite that not being the case, the Oilers captain is the League leader in that regard this season, recording 68 assists through 53 games with ‘only’ 21 goals to his name to place him third in goals on the Oilers roster in a tie with Evander Kane and behind Zach Hyman (37) and Leon Draisaitl (28).

Across the entire NHL, McDavid's 89 points this campaign rank third in NHL scoring – trailing only Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon (96) and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (102) – but his 68 assists and four more than the Lightning forward, who has 64 in sixx extra games played this season.

But we all know a player of McDavid’s calibre, who has a history of scoring 64 goals in a single season last year, will find the back of the net sooner than later; or at the bare minimum, he'll find different ways to contribute despite his recent goalless stretch reaching nine games.

As the de-facto pacesetter for the NHL and the Oilers, you know McDavid is willing to sacrifice every individual accolade or achievement he could to get his team over the finish line first at the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs – even if that means not scoring another goal all year and contributing 100 more assists.

That will, of course, not happen.

“I want to help this team win. I want to help this team any way I can,” he added. “Obviously, for me, that's producing, too. That's part of it. But just being a full 200-foot player, that's all I kind of focus on. And like I said, helping this team win is all that matters and I think everyone's bought in on that way. That's an afterthought.”

McDavid said during his media interview that he doesn't mind riding shotgun to his teammates, as he's elected to play more of a set-up role in recent games with his whopping 21 helpers in Edmonton's last nine games – including six assists in an 8-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings back on Feb. 13.

The Oilers captain is currently on pace to finish with 103 assists, which would make him the first player in the NHL in 35 years (Wayne Gretzky) to reach the century mark for assists in a single season.

During McDavid's 153-point season in 2022-23, he produced 64 goals and 89 assists.

"I've always played with guys that can know guys that can score goals, and I like getting assists too. I like contributing that way," he said. "I like setting teammates up, I like making those plays and I still feel like I'm creating lots and getting looks. For some reason, it's just not going in for me."

It might feel like a quiet stretch for Connor, but to his teammates and linemates who benefit from their leader's influence, you can't understate his impact on and off the ice.

"I wouldn't be having this year without him," Hyman, who has a team-high 37 goals this season. "I've had the pleasure of playing with him most nights, and he's a phenomenal player but just an even better teammate. When things aren't going well, he's talking, communicating, and trying to uplift his linemates and the group.

"So I think it goes a long way in the type the person he is, the captain he is, so you guys [the media] just see kind of the surface level, but definitely I wouldn't be having the year that I'm having without playing with him."