Connor McDavid is the reigning Art Ross and Hart Memorial Trophy winner, leading a dominant Edmonton Oilers club. The question of whether he can score 200 points in a season remains unanswered.
Connor McDavid net worth is the amount of money Connor McDavid has. It is currently $15 million dollars.
We’re about a week into the NHL regular season in 2021-22, which is just enough time to start worrying about clubs and players failing to live up to expectations.
Here are ten initial impressions made since the season began on Tuesday, and whether they are delusory or foreshadowing of things to come.
The Edmonton Oilers’ leading scorer started the season with two assists against the Vancouver Canucks before scoring a hat trick against the Calgary Flames. This is his best start since the 2016-17 season, and it puts him on pace to score 200 points this season.
SLIGHT OVERREACTION, in our opinion. While we’d never say McDavid isn’t capable of scoring, there’s a reason the NHL hasn’t had a 200-point season since Wayne Gretzky’s 215 points in 1985-86. And the reason for it is that Connor McDavid isn’t playing in the 1980s, when defense was optional and goaltender gear was child-sized.
However, if McDavid maintains his 1.88 point-per-game average from last season, he might become the first player since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96 to reach 150 points, which would be a significant accomplishment.
With star Jack Eichel awaiting surgery and a trade out of town, and second-leading scorer Sam Reinhart now in Florida, the Sabres were utterly written off starting the season. Rather of tanking for more lottery tickets straight away, Buffalo won its first two games, outscoring their opponents 6-2.
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The verdict: AN EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EX The Montreal Canadiens (0-3) looked rudderless without goalie Carey Price (in the NHL player assistance program) and defenseman Shea Weber (out for the season, and possibly longer) due to injuries; and the Arizona Coyotes, who appeared to be attempting to win the Shane Wright draft lottery in the first month of the season.
Still, the Sabres are off to a good start. Perhaps, even without Eichel, they’ll continue to “Ewing Theory” their way to victory. Perhaps they’ll be able to fit in a few more. Craig Anderson’s 968-save-percentage heroics defy age, expectation, and logic. Or maybe this is simply another season in which a strong start in Buffalo fades into obscurity a month later as the Sabres languish in the cellar.
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The verdict: THIS WAS NOT AN EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME Defense was always going to be the key to the Kraken’s first-year success. It was going to be the way they controlled the ball, limited opponents’ shots and scoring opportunities, and trusted Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger to take care of the rest. (Grubauer, it should be noted, hasn’t been very impressive so far.)
However, their postseason potential was always going to be decided by how many goals they scored. In a manner that it hasn’t been, their top line of McCann, Jaden Schwartz, and Jordan Eberle has to be dominating at 5-on-5. Their defenders, on the other hand, must score goals to compensate for any inadequacies on the offensive side.
If you’ve heard this before, please stop us: Despite the absence of Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin (or both), the Penguins continue to win games at a high rate, allowing them to flourish in their division. This season, it occurred again, with Pittsburgh going 2-0-1 with a plus-6 goal difference after three games to lead the Metro Division.
The verdict: AN EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EX It’s no surprise that the Penguins are winning without Crosby. The idea that they’re starting to appear like a playoff squad is also untrue. It’s also not the fact that, considering his regular-season work history, the much-maligned Tristan Jarry has looked good thus far this season. However, it would be surprising if the club eventually competed for the Stanley Cup, since despite its execution and tenacity, it still has some significant lineup issues. Maybe Sid and Geno should skip the playoffs as well…
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The Vezina Trophy will go to Jack Campbell.
After a great 2020-21 season, Jack Campbell is off to a strong start this season. Getty Images/NHLI/Kevin Sousa
Through three games this season, the Maple Leafs goalkeeper has the greatest save % (.968) and goals-against average (0.86) in the NHL, including two starts and a relief appearance when Petr Mrazek was injured.
The verdict: THIS WAS NOT AN EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME Despite a 17-3-2 record for Toronto, he didn’t win the Vezina Trophy last season. After a second great season in the nets, that may change. He might be in line for one if he gets the bulk of the starts ahead of an injury-prone Mrazek and is surrounded by a strong defensive unit.
The New York Islanders are the weakest team in the city.
The Isles got out to a shaky start, going 0-2-0 and posting an unexpected minus-7 goal difference. After a blowout defeat in Washington, an overtime loss in Dallas, and their first victory of the season in Montreal, the Rangers are now 1-1-1. The New Jersey Devils have only played one game, but it was a big one: an overtime triumph against Chicago in which Jack Hughes scored twice and celebrated by throwing his stick into the crowd.
The verdict: AN EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EX It’s inconceivable to see a Barry Trotz-coached club failing to find its defensive stride at some point. It’s plausible that the Rangers and Devils aren’t currently contenders on the same level as the Islanders. With that said, the Rangers’ offense has yet to find its stride, while the Devils’ offense exploded once Dougie Hamilton joined a youthful group.
The Islanders are still the club most likely to have a Stanley Cup parade in the New York metro region next summer, but they’re losing ground to their rivals.
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