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Before Connor McDavid even skated on a sheet of NHL ice, the expectations were lofty. When the Edmonton Oilers selected McDavid with the top pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, he had already earned an abundance of accolades while playing at the junior level in the Ontario Hockey League.

McDavid racked up 97 goals and 188 assists in three seasons with the OHL's Erie Otters. During those three campaigns, the star center captured the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL MVP, Emms Family Award as the OHL Rookie of the Year, and made multiple All-Star teams before turning 18 years old. 

Fast forward to his 10th professional season, and McDavid has accomplished just about everything one can in the NHL. McDavid has logged seven NHL All-Star Game appearances, won the Hart Trophy as league MVP on three occasions, led the league in points five times, and even won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP last season.

Realistically, the only accomplishment that McDavid has failed to complete is winning a Stanley Cup.

McDavid has breezed through the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in dominant fashion. Entering the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, the Oilers star leads all NHL skaters with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) as he owns a one-point advantage over teammate Leon Draisaitl.

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McDavid tallied three goals and six assists in Edmonton's five-game series win against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final. When the Oilers were in danger of allowing the Stars get back into a decisive Game 5, McDavid rose to the occasion like he has so many times before.

After the puck squirted out into the neutral zone, McDavid turned on the jets as he took just nine strides toward the net and ended up sliding the puck past Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith. The Oilers ended up grabbing a 4-2 lead at the time and it was an advantage that they would never relinquish in a 6-3 win.

It marked the second game-winning goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for McDavid, who also netted the eventual game-winner in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final.

Despite not having a Stanley Cup on his resume, McDavid has had no problem performing when the lights are the brightest. In fact, McDavid became just the sixth player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as a member of the losing team in the Stanley Cup Final when he accomplished the feat in 2024.

Throughout the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers standout registered a point in four of the seven games. McDavid even put together a performance for the ages in Game 4 when he compiled a goal and three assists in a dominant 8-1 win against the Panthers. 

McDavid has tallied the sixth-most points (143) among active NHL players. He has also recorded the second-most postseasons with 20+ assists in NHL history with only Wayne Gretzky having more with six such performances. The former top pick also required the second-fewest games (90) to reach 100 career playoff assists in NHL history behind only Gretzky (70). McDavid also has the third-most career playoff points per game (1.59) in league history.

If McDavid's stellar postseason play wasn't impressive enough, the star forward also provided the heroics in the 4 Nations Face-Off back in February. With Canada tied 2-2 with the United States in overtime, McDavid potted the game-winning goal 8:18 into the overtime period to lift the Canadians to a victory in the inaugural tournament. 

McDavid is capable of making superhuman plays when his team needs him the most. He's done it time and time again at the highest level.

While there's plenty of talented players around the league, McDavid has assumed the title of the face of the NHL. His playmaking skills can leave people's jaws on the floor. However, the only thing that McDavid has failed to do in his decade-long career is hoist Lord Stanley's Cup. If McDavid can finally lead the Oilers to postseason glory, he will immediately vault himself into the conversation with the all-time greats in the sport's history.