Connor McDavid isn't the greatest player in Edmonton Oilers history -- he has a long, long way to go to even sniff the career stats and success achieved by hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. But the 25-year-old superstar center is poised to break one of Gretzky's long-standing records, and his dominance has been showcased throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring.
In spite of Edmonton's wild 8-6 road loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday night, McDavid recorded a goal plus two assists for three points, in 24 minutes of ice time. Through 13 playoff games, McDavid's racked up 29 points. And if he keeps this multi-point pace, he'll be within reach of Gretzky's record of 47 points in one postseason, set in 1985. It's a tall order, but a challenge fit for McDavid -- the NHL's best player.
"He has the ability to skate and handle the puck at such a high level. And his ability to attack a player, and use that triangle between the skates and stick," former NHL player and current analyst Bret Hedican explained to After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Wednesday. "When I look at McDavid, early on in his career, you could just see his neck and his upper body wasn't built. And his lower body wasn't built like a bricklayer yet.
"Now, you look at him, his upper body looks different. And his lower body is a beast. He's able to lay down some bricks and be a guy who can drive through a check. You can't really knock him down. He's willing to take hits down low in the offensive zone. And then what we're seeing in the defensive zone, he has become a complete 200-foot player. Not that he wasn't that before, but we're seeing him take his game to the next level, defensively."
The entire NHL playoffs conversation between Hedican and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.