Even by his lofty standards, Oilers center Connor McDavid has hit another gear this season.
Coming into 2023, there didn't seem to be much more for McDavid to accomplish. In every season of his career except for his rookie year and pandemic-shortened 2020, the Richmond Hill, Ontario native has topped 100 points. He's recorded six straight top-five finishes in the Hart Trophy voting and appears bound for the Hall of Fame.
In Edmonton’s 5–4 victory over the Coyotes Monday night, however, McDavid recorded his 140th point—a milestone that put him in rare air. McDavid is the first Oiler to reach that figure since Hall of Fame center Wayne Gretzky scored 149 points in 1988.
There have been just 25 140-point seasons in the history of the NHL (plus five in the World Hockey Association), and none in the 21st century before this year. Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov scored 128 in 2019, the previous league high since 2000.
If he continues at his current pace, McDavid will finish 2023 with 155 points, which would tie Hall of Fame Red Wings center Steve Yzerman for the most in history by players not named Gretzky or Mario Lemieux. The two Hall of Fame centers are responsible for the 13 highest-scoring seasons in hockey history.
