LOS ANGELES — Go ahead, call Connor McDavid the best player in the NHL.
He's a franchise player who became a franchise changer, a spectacularly talented kid who matured into a man while rallying the Edmonton Oilers past the Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
He was commanding in leading the Oilers past the Calgary Flames and to the Western Conference final against the Colorado Avalanche. He's gifted with speed that breaks defenders' ankles and vision that makes him an uncannily accurate passer. With 26 points in his first 12 playoff games he jumped within easy reach of Wayne Gretzky's record of 47 points in one playoff year, set by Gretzky in 18 games in 1985.
