Connor McDavid has scored 100+ points in a season nine times, which is the third most in NHL history behind Mario Lemieux (10) and Wayne Gretzky (15). He’s been incredibly consistent, reaching the century mark in nine of his eleven seasons. He missed 37 games as a rookie, and in 2020 he had 97 points in 64 games, before the season ended prematurely due to COVID.

In the past decade (2017-2026), he’s produced between 97 and 153 points each season. Only Gretzky, with 1842 points from 1981-1990, and Lemieux, with 1211 points between 1985-1994, had a more productive decade in NHL history. Gretzky had over 1000 points in all of the possible 11 instances of a “10-year span” in his career. The lowest was 1990-1999 when he scored 1,020 points. Fun fact: Gretzky had 1036 points in a five-year span between 1982-1986.

McDavid scored 1,172 points over the past decade. Leon Draisaitl (993), Nathan MacKinnon (989) and Nikita Kucherov (975) are the only players with more than 900 points in that time. If McDavid scores 140 points this season, he will pass Lemieux and have the second most productive decade in NHL history with 1212 points. Here are the players who managed to score 1000+ points over a 10-year span. *I only included the highest total for those who did it multiple times. *

McDavid won his sixth scoring title last year with 138 points, making him one of only five players to score 130+ points three times in their career.

Gretzky did it 13 times, Lemieux six, Phil Esposito four and Marcel Dionne three times. Those four and McDavid have combined for 29 of the 55 seasons where a player reached 130 points. Nikita Kucherov, Jari Kurri, Guy Lafleur, Bobby Orr and Steve Yzerman have done it twice while Mike Bossy, Paul Coffey, Dale Hawerchuk, Brett Hull, Jaromir Jagr, Pat Lafontaine, Nathan MacKinnon, Denis Maruk, Bernie Nicholls, Kent Nilsson, Adam Oates, Denis Savard, Teemu Selanne, Peter Stastny, Bryan Trottier and Pierre Turgeon did it once.

If McDavid reaches 140 points, he’d join Gretzky (11x), Lemieux (5x) and Esposito (2x) as the only players with multiple seasons of 140+ points.

Damn right it is possible. You will likely hear three theories as to why he can’t, and I disagree with all three.

I call BS. Kucherov is four years older than McDavid, and he scored 144 points in 2024 in his 30-year-old season. In the past three years, Kucherov has produced the most points in the NHL with 395 when he was 30, 31 and 32. People who keep mentioning age simply haven’t paid attention to the reality of today’s elite athletes. In all sports, we are seeing the elite players remain at a high level much longer than previous generations. Not because they are better per se, but because they have better knowledge of rest, training, nutrition, and they have better travel. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have been near the top of the NHL for two decades. Ovechkin scored 475 goals in his first 10 NHL seasons and scored 422 in his next 10. Crosby had 853 points in his first decade and produced 834 in years 11 through 20.

McDavid is still in his prime. He enters this season more rested and healthier than he has been in the past six seasons. He will be fresh and motivated to lead his team to a much more consistent regular season.

Again, this argument makes little sense to me. The Colorado Avalanche led the NHL with 298 goals scored last season. They also led the NHL in goals against at 197. Nathan MacKinnon led the NHL with 75 points and five-on-five and he outscored teams 100-42 at five-on-five. He didn’t sacrifice offence by playing soundly defensively. At even strength, he had 97 points, and he outscored teams 126-59 when he was on the ice. He was the eighth player all-timer with 97+ points at even strength in a season, and the first to do it since Gretzky had 103 in 1991. MacKinnon had an amazing season 5×5 and at even strength. The only reason he didn’t reach 140+ points was that the Avalanche power play was dreadful, ranking 27th at 17.1 per cent.

I have no doubt Babcock will insist the team is more consistent defensively and manages the puck better in the offensive and neutral zones. McDavid will buy in, and when he does, he will spend less time defending and will be attacking more.

I agree McDavid will see his time on ice lowered, but that means he will be rested and more effective in the minutes he plays. He won’t play 1:03/game on the penalty kill. There is no reason to play McDavid regularly on the PK in the regular season.

Remove the penalty kill time, and McDavid is under 22 minutes. The suggestion that the Edmonton Oilers should play the second power play unit more is another area I disagree with. The Oilers’ first unit is the best in NHL history. It is lethal, and you will notice McDavid still averages less PP TOI/game than both MacKinnon and Kucherov, because the Oilers’ power play scores more often and doesn’t get as many opportunities. Drawing more penalties would be the only way I’d look at playing the second power play unit more.

McDavid averaged the most TOI in his career last season. That won’t happen this year. I suspect he will be in the 21 minute/game range, and that won’t limit his offence as much as some believe. He will be more rested, which should make him more dangerous.

McDavid has been incredibly productive the past six seasons.

Some felt he had started to slow down in 2025 when he “only” averaged 1.49 points per game. He produced 1.68 last year. He is still in his prime, and he is rested, motivated and hungry to help prove the veterans made the right decision by vouching for Babcock to be the head coach.

We all know McDavid wants to win the Stanley Cup, but that doesn’t mean the regular season doesn’t matter. I’d argue the opposite. The regular season can help you build your team’s foundation for success. McDavid can’t win the Cup in the regular season, and if he scores 140+ points, that will not negatively impact his chances of winning the Cup. The Cup will be decided by health and who Stan Bowman acquires leading up to the trade deadline, but the regular season matters, and McDavid’s brilliance should not be underappreciated or undervalued.

He is producing at a scoring rate only surpassed by Lemieux and Gretzky. He’s been ridiculously dynamic for the past decade, and I don’t see that changing this season. I predict he will surpass 140 points, and I think it is very possible he could reach 150 for the second time in his career. I’ll say he scores 148 points.

How many do you think he scores?

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