The playoffs have been about as tidy as a tire fire for the Edmonton Oilers, but the 2025-26 NHL season will go down in the books as one of the best in the exemplary career of Connor McDavid.<\/p>\n
Given annually to the most-outstanding player in the NHL, as voted by the NHL Players\u2019 Association, McDavid is up against San Jose Sharks rookie sensation Macklin Celibrini and Tampa Bay Lightning star forward Nikita Kucherov, who won the award last season, as well as in 2018-19.<\/p>\n
The Oilers captain claimed his sixth Art Ross trophy, leading the league with 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists) \u2014 eight points ahead of Kucherov \u2014 while playing all 82 regular-season games, helping an up-and down Oilers squad to a second-place finish in the Pacific Division.<\/p>\n
Numbers-wise, the only better season McDavid has had was in 2022-23, when he earned career highs of 64 goals and 153 points.<\/p>\n
And even with the team on the brink of elimination heading into Game 5 of their opening-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, the Oilers took time out to celebrate McDavid\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s about the least surprising thing I\u2019ve heard all morning,\u201d Leon Draisaitl said at morning skate following the announcement McDavid was among this year\u2019s nominees.<\/p>\n
McDavid has four previous Ted Lindsay awards on his resume (2016-17, 2017-18, 2020-21, 2022-23), and has been nominated seven times. Only Wayne Gretzky has won it five times.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe production-wise, it was his second-best year,\u201d Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. \u201cHe led the NHL in scoring and really had a tremendous second half or three-quarters of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially at the end of the year when our season was on the line and we\u2019re missing Draisaitl, who is another star in this league, where he really elevated his game and got our team into the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The post-season has been another story for McDavid, unfortunately, with a goal and three assists, along with a minus-4 goal differential heading into Game 5.<\/p>\n
He was held off the scoresheet in Game 1 against Anaheim, which marked the first time all season the Oilers won a game without him earning at least a point, as well as a Game 2 loss to the Ducks.<\/p>\n
In that game, McDavid injured his ankle in a collision with teammate Mattias Ekholm, which has appeared to hamper him, though he has continued to play through it. McDavid was listed as a game-time decision for Tuesday night after sitting out the morning skate.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot one guy is going to replace him, and we have some guys that are banged up and they\u2019re continuing to play and doing the best that they can do,\u201d Knoblauch said. \u201cBut ultimately everybody\u2019s got to step it up a little bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlayoffs is a tough time to play, it\u2019s tight checking, there\u2019s not much room and we\u2019re playing a good team with Anaheim and right now we need those guys that are healthy being able to pick up the slack for the guys that can\u2019t play like they want to.\u201d<\/p>\n
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